Say Your Prayers
Midnight Oil · Essential Oils [2012]
Don't wanna live in a prison cell
Don't wanna live in a smoking room
Independence just don't come to you
In the brief of a diplomat
Say your prayers for the future
Say your prayers for the past
It might be 'round the corner
It might be all we have
Say your prayers
Couldn't live with a compromise
Couldn't live with hypocrisy
Bureaucracy it doesn't have to win
Break the cage of the beast within
Say your prayers in the boardroom
Say your prayers on the stairs
It might be catastrophic
It might be too damn bad
Say your prayers
I got the cure for compassion fatigue
Spend a week with the Timorese
Running scared from the military
You can share, you can share your disease
Now we won't live with an absent master
Couldn't live on an island divided
Don't want my kids to grow up in shame
In a country with a different name
Had to throw them out, had to break the chains
Say your prayers for the future
Say your prayers for the past
It might be 'round the corner
It might be all we have
Say your prayers
I got the cure for compassion fatigue
Spend a week with the Timorese
Running scared from the military
I come to you with a plaintive plea
Don't wanna live in a smoking room
Independence just don't come to you
In the brief of a diplomat
Say your prayers for the future
Say your prayers for the past
It might be 'round the corner
It might be all we have
Say your prayers
Couldn't live with a compromise
Couldn't live with hypocrisy
Bureaucracy it doesn't have to win
Break the cage of the beast within
Say your prayers in the boardroom
Say your prayers on the stairs
It might be catastrophic
It might be too damn bad
Say your prayers
I got the cure for compassion fatigue
Spend a week with the Timorese
Running scared from the military
You can share, you can share your disease
Now we won't live with an absent master
Couldn't live on an island divided
Don't want my kids to grow up in shame
In a country with a different name
Had to throw them out, had to break the chains
Say your prayers for the future
Say your prayers for the past
It might be 'round the corner
It might be all we have
Say your prayers
I got the cure for compassion fatigue
Spend a week with the Timorese
Running scared from the military
I come to you with a plaintive plea
Say Your Prayers
Midnight Oil's 'Say Your Prayers' stands as a potent anthem within their extensive catalogue of political and social commentary. Recorded for the 2012 compilation 'Essential Oils', the track exemplifies the band's signature blend of hard rock and protest music, addressing themes of religious hypocrisy and systemic injustice. The song features the group's characteristic driving rhythm and vocal delivery, characteristic of their work from the 1970s through the 2010s. As a staple of their discography, it continues to resonate with audiences who appreciate music that challenges authority and highlights human rights issues, maintaining the legacy of Australian rock activism.