we were glad to sail to you on schooners
and take spice and seed
we said that you would thank us later
saw profit in your archipelago
and by 1605 we had Ambon
those times our mighty VOC
planted down coffee trees
and sugar, spice, and nice indigo
we had you work upon the land
and earned tons of cash
thinking "It belongs to me"

looking back it's so bizarre
running the colony
all those things were OURS!
kicked up our feet while you starved
we chose for a tyranny
went overseas, so far
and we all had to sell the spice
looking back it's so bizarre

and then we said "Oh, what the fudge?
and let's induct
a system asking farmers taxes"
we'd send you building a railway
only few would "make it to the station"
didn't mean the people would endure;
we called more isles our own,
you gave us entertaining action
we needed, for cotton and nutmeg,
you not to attack
so we burned down some of your cities

looking back it's so bizarre
us running the colony
Dutchmen were in charge!!
and the backseat was all yours
we gave you ignominy
we owning these old farms
and we all had you damn our eyes
looking back it's so bizarre
then came an insurgency
Soekarno and Hatta
looking back it's so bizarre

like we couldn't just agree
with it August seventeenth (ooh, ooh, ooh)
sent our soldiers for our cause
show the islands who is boss (ooh, ooh, ooh)
we're gonna have to face the music
oh yeah
face the music

hey, hey, we had it running in the colony
hey, hey, we had this coming in the colony

looking back it's so bizarre
running the colony
the only thing we are:
we'd ransack, steal, rob, do harm
we gloated while pillaging
we only $ee $o far
and we all had our bad desires

looking back it's so bizarre, whoa, yeah
ran an Indies-colony

ran an Indies-colony
and we all had our bad designs
looking back it's so bizarre, whoa, yeah