Mr. Write's Page

“Overkill” by the Australian rock band Men at Work is a melancholy tune. Many fans think it’s about some poor soul burdened with anxiety, depression, paranoia, or even schizophrenia.

Not so. Colin Hay, the composer and vocalist, said the song reflects what was happening to the band at the time: success and the fear of stepping into the unknown.

“It’s about leaving somewhere and leaving your comfort zone,” Hay explained. He said the band spent years struggling to make it to the top, but getting there meant a loss of control and feelings of vulnerability. Suddenly, all those managers and studio executives were taking charge.

Fair enough. But I’m not surprised when people out there with personal, emotional, or mental troubles hear the line, “Ghosts appear and fade away,” and it speaks to them.

Overkill

By Men at Work, 1983
Written by Colin Hay

I can’t get to sleep.
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep,
And possibly the complications.
Especially at night,
I worry over situations
I know will be all right.
Perhaps it’s just imagination.

Day after day, it reappears.
Night after night, my heartbeat shows the fear.
Ghosts appear and fade away.

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation.
It’s time to walk the streets,
Smell the desperation.
At least there’s pretty lights,
And though there’s little variation,
It nullifies the night
From overkill.

Day after day, it reappears.
Night after night, my heartbeat shows the fear.
Ghosts appear and fade away.
Come back another day.

I can’t get to sleep.
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep,
And possibly the complications.
Especially at night,
I worry over situations that
I know will be all right.
It’s just overkill.

Day after day, it reappears.
Night after night, my heartbeat shows the fear.
Ghosts appear and fade away.
Ghosts appear and fade away.
Ghosts appear and fade away.