Three Sheets to Kishkiyya · Track 64 · middle
Chunder
VOLUME III — being SICK, the small-hours reckoning at the porcelain. The idiom and the song's title hook: "Chunder". Its true history: Australia, 20th c. — possibly from 'watch under!' shouted on deck; the cheerful national classic. Render this beat of the night as the band's affectionate, funny, celebratory tribute — the idiom itself is the chorus hook.
Lyrics
[Verse 1] I drank the harbor dry tonight, a champion of the bar But now the tide is turning back beneath the northern star It’s not a tragic ending, mate, it’s just the ocean’s tax I'm gripping on the porcelain, I’m squaring up my stance [Chorus] Watch under! Look out below! That 20th-century warning cry before you let it go The words got mashed together while they tore the night asunder Now I'm leaning on the railing and I'm going for a chunder! [Verse 2] They shouted "Watch under" across the wood from Sydney to the strait To keep the splashing off the heads of every lower mate Now I'm the captain of the bowl, I'm riding out the gale And paying back the liquid toll to keep the vessel safe [Bridge] There is no shame in spilling out the excess of the crown A heavy king must lighten up before the ship goes down We’re making room for morning, we are roaring at the drain The belly is a muscle and it's taking back the reins [Chorus] Watch under! Look out below! That 20th-century warning cry before you let it go The words got mashed together while they tore the night asunder Now I'm leaning on the railing and I'm going for a chunder! [Outro] Yeah, clear the decks for me I'm tipping my hat to the deep We bounce right back to the party... Just need to rest my head on this cold rim for a second