David Gordon "Slim Dusty " Kirkpatrick AO, MBE (13 June 1927—19 September 2… Read Full Bio ↴David Gordon "Slim Dusty " Kirkpatrick AO, MBE (13 June 1927—19 September 2003) was an Australian country music singer-songwriter and producer, with a career spanning nearly eight decades. He was known to record songs in the legacy of Australian poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson that represented the Australian Bush Lifestyle, and also for his many trucking songs. Dusty was the first Australian to have a No. 1 Hit song with Gordon Parsons (Pub With No Beer). He received an unequaled 37 Golden Guitar and two ARIA awards and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Country Music Roll of Renown. At the time of his death at the age of 76, Dusty had been working on his 106th album for EMI Records. In 2007 his domestic record sales in Australia surpassed seven million.

Over the course of his career, he collected more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artist.
Dusty not only recorded songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers, but also recorded classic Australian poems by Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson with new tunes, to call attention to the old 'Bush Ballads.' An example is The Man from Snowy River by Paterson.

In 1970, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music. In 1971 he won Best Single at the Australian Country Music Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival (Slim's wife Joy McKean won Song of the Year as writer of the song for which he won best single). In all, he won a record 35 "Golden Guitars" over the years.

He died at home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 after a protracted battle with cancer, at age 76.

The Slim Dusty Story started back in the 1940s on a remote dairy farm in the hills behind Kempsey, NSW, when a 10-year-old boy dreamed of being a country music singer. His name was David Gordon Kirkpatrick... he called himself "Slim Dusty" and began to live that dream.

But even the most optimistic farm boy would never have imagined the life that was to unfold... a life that would establish Slim as the voice of the nation, the chronicler of Australian history in song.

Slim managed to hold on to those early visions of writing and singing about the bush because during his lengthy career, he always stayed in touch with his audience. And he did this in a very real and meaningful way, so much so that his fans would feel that Slim was one of their mates and his songs "just a good yarn you might hear from a mate at the pub, around a campfire in the bush or at a back yard barbie".

He described his music as "songs about real Australians... "I have to be fair dinkum with my audience. I can't see any other way of doing it," he said. "You have to believe in what you are singing about."

Slim Dusty was the first Australian to have a number one hit record and the only Australian to ever receive a 78rpm Gold Record (for A Pub With No Beer in 1958)...

He was the first Australian to have an international record hit and the first singer in the world to have his voice beamed to earth from space (astronauts Bob Crippen and John Young played Slim's recording of Waltzing Matilda from the space shuttle "Columbia" as it passed over Australia back in 1983).

During an amazingly successful career spanning over six decades, Slims' continued popularity saw him rewarded with more Gold and Platinum Awards for sales of his singles, eight-tracks, cassettes, CD's, videos and DVDs... more than any other Australian artist!

He received an unequaled 37 Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA's (Australian Recording Industry Association awards), inductions into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.

Slim was recognized for his long time services to Australian entertainment with an MBE and an Order of Australia. In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard named Slim Dusty Australia's Father of the Year and Senior Australian of the Year. There were many other awards and honors... too many to name here!

Dusty died at his home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76, after a protracted battle with cancer.

I'm Dusty All Over
Slim Dusty Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The sun went down on the Simpson as we ordered our second round
There′s nothing quite like the
Feeling of that first cold beer going down
And drivin' from the Curry to
Birdsville you work up one hell of a thirst
Between the heat, the rough roads,
And bulldust it′s hard to say what's the worst

I'm dusty all over from hat to my heels
I′m dusty all over and I like how it feels
These travellin′ bones won't leave me alone
I reckon they′re set in their ways
So I guess you'd say hey, hey I′m dusty all over

Camped by the roadside near Winton telling some yarns round the fire
With a handful of mates and some
Locals and the stories grew higher and higher
And everyone's tryin for one better bending the truth till it broke
Between all the lies and the
Bullshit the air was just thicker than smoke

I′m dusty all over from hat to my heels
I'm dusty all over and I like how it feels
These travellin' bones won′t leave me alone
I reckon they′re set in their ways
So I guess you'd say hey, hey I′m dusty all over

I stopped at the old town and country about dinner time the other day
When a couple of blokes at the end of the
Bar started whispering and pointing my way
Well finally one of 'em came over steady as steady could go
He took my hat off the bar held it
Over my head and said mate told you so
That′s right

I'm dusty all over from hat to my heels
I′m dusty all over and I like how it feels
These travellin' bones won't leave me alone
I reckon they′re set in their ways
So I guess you′d say hey, hey I'm dusty all over

I′m dusty all over from hat to my heels, that's right.

Overall Meaning

In Slim Dusty's song "I'm Dusty All Over," the lyrics describe the experience of being constantly covered in dust from head to toe while traveling through the outback of Australia. The song celebrates the ruggedness and adventurous spirit of the singer, who embraces the dirtiness and toughness that comes with a life on the road.

The opening lines set the scene in the Simpson Desert, where the sun sets as the singer and his companions enjoy their second round of cold beer. The feeling of the first sip quenching their thirst is highlighted, emphasizing the simple pleasures found in a harsh environment. Traveling from Curry to Birdsville, the rough roads and dust-filled air contribute to the weariness and unrelenting dustiness of the singer.

As they camp near Winton, the singer engages in storytelling with friends and locals, exaggerating and embellishing their tales to create a sense of camaraderie and entertainment. The atmosphere becomes thick with not just smoke from the fire, but also the figurative "bullshit" that accompanies these yarns, emphasizing the larger-than-life nature of outback tales.

The final verse recounts a scene in a town pub, where the locals whisper and point at the singer. One of them approaches and confirms that the singer is indeed covered in dust. This interaction acknowledges the singer's reputation for being dusty and reinforces their identity as someone who embraces the dusty, nomadic lifestyle.

Overall, "I'm Dusty All Over" captures the spirit and pride of those who travel the dusty outback, showcasing their resilience, storytelling prowess, and contentment with a life full of adventure and dirt.

Line by Line Meaning

The sun went down on the Simpson as we ordered our second round
As the sun set on the Simpson Desert, we ordered another round of drinks.

There's nothing quite like the Feeling of that first cold beer going down
There's a unique satisfaction in the sensation of drinking the first cold beer.

And drivin' from the Curry to Birdsville you work up one hell of a thirst
When driving from the Curry to Birdsville, the heat and rough roads make you incredibly thirsty.

Between the heat, the rough roads, And bulldust it's hard to say what's the worst
It's difficult to determine which is the harshest between the intense heat, rough roads, and dusty conditions.

Camped by the roadside near Winton telling some yarns round the fire
While camping by the roadside near Winton, we shared stories and anecdotes around the campfire.

With a handful of mates and some Locals and the stories grew higher and higher
Both our group of friends and the locals each contributed to the escalating nature of the stories being shared.

And everyone's tryin for one better bending the truth till it broke
Each person was striving to outdo the others by exaggerating the truth to such an extent that it became absurd.

Between all the lies and the Bullshit the air was just thicker than smoke
The atmosphere became increasingly dense with falsehoods and nonsense, similar to the thickness of smoke.

I stopped at the old town and country about dinner time the other day
Recently, I made a stop at the old town and country pub around dinnertime.

When a couple of blokes at the end of the Bar started whispering and pointing my way
Two individuals at the far end of the bar began whispering and discretely indicating towards me.

Well finally one of 'em came over steady as steady could go
Eventually, one of them approached me with unwavering confidence.

He took my hat off the bar held it Over my head and said mate told you so
He removed my hat from the bar, placed it above my head, and triumphantly declared, 'See, I told you.'

I'm dusty all over from hat to my heels, that's right.
I am covered in dust from my hat all the way down to my heels, and that's absolutely true.

Writer(s): Douglas Trevor, Graeme Connors

Contributed by Adrian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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