My Country – English Lyrics

• By: Midnight Oil
• Album: Earth and Sun and Moon

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the themes of nationalism and moral conflict in Midnight Oil's compelling song, "My Country". This song offers a unique opportunity to delve into the language of political expression and understand how music can be used to challenge societal norms. Discover the nuances of the lyrics and the powerful message behind this iconic track.

[English]

Was it just a dream, were you so confused

Was it just a giant leap of logic

Was it the time of year

That makes a state of fear

Methods, were their motives for the action

And did I hear you say

My country right or wrong

Did you save your face

Did you breach your faith

Women, there were children at the shelter

Now who can stop the hail

When human senses fail

There was never any warning, no escape

And did I hear you say

My country right or wrong

My country oh so strong

My country right or wrong

My country right or wrong

My country going wrong

My country right or wrong

I hear you say the truth must take a beating

The flag a camouflage for your deceiving

Cause I know, (I know) I know, it's written on your soul

I know we all make mistakes

This is not a case of blurred vision, it's a case of black holes, pocket

holes, soul holes

And did I hear you say

My country right or wrong

My country oh so strong

My country right or wrong

My country right or wrong

My country going wrong

My country right or wrong

My country, my country, my country

Key Grammar Structures

• Was it just a dream, were you so confused?

  ➔ Tag Question & Past Simple

  ➔ The sentence uses a tag question ("were you...") attached to a statement ("Was it just a dream...") to seek confirmation. Both clauses are in the Past Simple tense. The use of 'were' after 'you' is correct for the subjunctive mood in this type of question.

• Was it the time of year That makes a state of fear

  ➔ Relative Clause & Present Simple

  ➔ The phrase "That makes a state of fear" is a relative clause modifying "the time of year". It uses the Present Simple ("makes") to describe a general truth or habitual action. The 'That' acts as a relative pronoun.

• Women, there were children at the shelter

  ➔ Fronting & Past Continuous/Simple

  ➔ "Women" is fronted for emphasis, drawing attention to the presence of women and children. "there were" is a past tense construction indicating existence. The verb 'were' indicates a state in the past.

• Now who can stop the hail When human senses fail

  ➔ Rhetorical Question & Conditional Sentence (Type 1)

  ➔ The first line is a rhetorical question, not expecting an answer. The second line forms a conditional sentence (Type 1: If senses fail, then no one can stop the hail). The 'When' functions as 'If' in this context.

• This is not a case of blurred vision, it's a case of black holes, pocket holes, soul holes

  ➔ Parallelism & Metaphor

  ➔ The sentence uses parallelism with the repeated phrase "a case of...", creating a rhythmic effect. "Black holes, pocket holes, soul holes" are metaphors representing deep, inescapable problems or voids.