This was probably the best song on the first album, and it was one of those ones that comes out all of a piece; you’re writing it and you’re interested to get to the next verse because you want to see where it’s going.
There’s lots of Big Everythings in Australia (Pineapple, Earthworm, Merino, to name a few), but the Big Banana is perhaps the most well-known. It’s just a very big banana.
The Big BananaIf you want to see Australia
I know some things that you should do
Spend a night on Sydney Harbour
Spend a day at Uluru
Travel deep into the forests
Lie on beaches in the sun
But if you’re really into Dada
I know attraction number one.
You should see the Big Banana
See it once before you die
Somewhere right up near Coffs Harbour
And I don’t know the reason why
They had to build a Big Banana
It doesn’t make much sense to me
But it’s a very big banana
And that’s a funny thing to see.
In the past you’ve been bewildered
You might have felt the need to pray
You had no truck with golden idols
You looked to God to light your way
But sometimes organised religion
Spins you round until you find
You lose your taste for easy answers
I’ve something tastier in mind.
Why not ask the Big Banana?
You don’t often see a fruit that size
It won’t answer any questions
So it won’t tell you any lies
It has no special secret powers
Nothing holy guaranteed
But it’s a very big banana
And that might just be what you need.
For in my life there have been moments
When I’ve betrayed what I held dear
I lacked the strength of my convictions
Intimidated by my fear
But even in these yellow moments
I like to think that I can see
When I find my inspiration
How courageous I can be.
For someone built the Big Banana
They had a Big Banana dream
I might not own up to a vision
So phallocentrically extreme
Instead they built the Big Banana
They wore their heart out on their sleeve
And you say it’s just a big banana
It all depends what you believe.
It’s just a very big banana
It all depends what you believe.