Pop Song 447 of 500 'Who can it be now' Men at Work 1981

Pop Song 447 of 500 'Who can it be now' Men at Work 1981

Around 1979, lead vocalist Colin Hay wrote the music for "Who Can It Be Now" in a tree house he and his girlfriend made in Bermagui, New South Wales.[8] The lyrics would not come until 1981, when Hay was living in an apartment complex in St Kilda, Victoria. He lived next to drug dealers, and people would often confuse Hay's apartment for the dealers'. The number of people that would knock on his door unnerved him to the point where he was scared to open his door, regardless of who was there. At the time, Hay was also anxious about his music career, which had yet to take off. In a 2015 interview, Hay explained: "I was trying to get out of the situation I was in, which is that I didn’t really have any money...It seemed at that particular time everyone who knocked on my door wanted something from me that I either didn't have or didn’t want to give them. That could be money, or it could simply be time that I didn’t want to give them.

Who can it be knocking at my door?
Go 'way, don't come 'round here no more
Can't you see that it's late at night?
I'm very tired and I'm not feeling right
All I wish is to be alone
Stay away, don't you invade my home
Best off if you hang outside
Don't come in, I'll only run and hide
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be knocking at my door?
Make no sound, tip-toe across the floor
If he hears, he'll knock all day
I'll be trapped and here I'll have to stay
I've done no harm, I keep to myself
There's nothing wrong with my state of mental health
I like it here with my childhood friend
Here they come, those feelings again!
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?
Who can it be now?