Tyler Childers Dropped What I Assume Is The First Ever Country Song About Koalas With Chlamydia

Gotta think this is a first in country music.

Tyler Childers has undoubtedly changed the landscape of country music since bursting on the scene with his 2017 album Purgatory.

The Kentucky native has grown from playing bars and music venues in nearby Huntington, West Virginia to selling out festivals and arenas around the world with his powerful, gritty vocals and bluegrass-inspired folk sound, but it’s really his songwriting prowess that sets Childers apart from pretty much anybody else in country music.

Take, for example, his latest song about a koala with STDs.

Today Childers dropped his latest album, the Rick Rubin-produced Snipe Hunter, and it seems like a lot of listeners are still trying to figure out how they feel about it. Of course there are plenty of people who are going to think everything he does is great, and there are also a few out there who are going to hate it no matter what because of his political views. But in between, there are a lot of people who are digesting the new album and forming their own opinions.

And one song that immediately got their attention was “Down Under.”

The song contains observations from Tyler’s time in Australia, including how long it takes to get there (“forever and a day,”) and the dangerous wildlife:

“Down under is forever and a day
It ain’t no wonder why more folks don’t find the time
‘Cause it takes time to get down under
Things out there can kill ya worse
Than critters and the thunder
It’s been forever and a day since I have been down under”

But that’s not all: Right off the bat, he opens the song with a warning about the diseases carried by koalas – like syphilis, or maybe chlamydia.

“Koala bears get livid when they don’t get eucalyptus
Most of ’em carry syphilis
Or chlamydia what’s the difference
All I know is I don’t want no koala cuddlin’ up to me
I can see it fine from here it is a pretty cute koala”

Gotta give Tyler credit, there aren’t many country songs about koalas getting STDs. (At least not that I can think of. If I’m missing one feel free to let me know).

Of course the internet was immediately amused by the unique lyrics:

Down Under finally answers my lifelong issue of “I want to listen to Tyler Childers, but I also want to learn trivia about koalas”

— Mikey DiLullo (@MikeyDiLullo) July 25, 2025

Now, I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that the song is going to be a fan-favorite or that it’s the best track on the album. But Tyler has done these quirky songs in the past (remember “Ever Lovin’ Hand” from his Country Squire album, which was about…well, pleasing himself in a hotel room?)

And in case you were wondering, he’s right: Koalas actually do have chlamydia, which is obviously a sexually transmitted disease in humans but can also be sexually transmitted in koalas. At one point it was estimated that 90% of the population of koalas in Australia were infected with chlamydia, which led to concerns that the disease could threaten the entire species with extinction.

In 2023, scientists in New South Wales began vaccinating wild koalas for chlamydia in a first of its kind test to control the spread of the disease and protect the species that is now listed as endangered.

And now, we have Mr. Childers sounding the alarm and raising awareness for koala STDs.

Talk about putting your platform to work. What an artist.

The post Tyler Childers Dropped What I Assume Is The First Ever Country Song About Koalas With Chlamydia first appeared on Whiskey Riff.