Leave Him In the Long Yard
Slim Dusty Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yes he's lookin' kind of jaded
And his sight is not the best
And the hair around his muzzle's turnin' grey
He has seen a hundred musters
And I think it's only fair
We leave him in the longyard here today

He was broken in the sixties
Maybe sixty three or four
Never faltered always seemed to be on hand
Never have I seen him beaten
By a bullock in the bush
And at a night watch he was pick of all the land.

So leave him out there in the longyard
Do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
With his mates that he can graze
he can laze with
Leave him there and we will turn him out today

Yes he's lookin' kind of jaded
And his sight is not the best
And the hair around his muzzle's turnin' grey
He has seen a hundred musters
And I think it's only fair
We leave him in the longyard here today

He's entitled to some kindness
In return for all he's been
Now he's failin' and his step is gettin' slow
Let him squander his last summer
By the river with his mates
In the paddock where the sweetest grasses grow

So leave him out there in the longyard
Do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
Leave him there till after smoko
And we'll catch him
We'll pull his tail and turn him out today

Yeah, leave him out there in the longyard
Do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
Leave him there till after smoko
And we'll catch him
We'll pull his tail and turn him out today




We'll pull his tail and turn him out today
Leave him there and we will turn him out today

Overall Meaning

"Leave Him in the Long Yard" by Slim Dusty is a song that speaks of the life of a horse who has been a part of the bush for many years. The song tells the story of the old horse who has been a faithful workhorse on the farm for years. As the horse is getting old, the singer decides that it is time to give him a rest and let him live out his days in the long yard with his mate, the baldy bay. This song is a sentimental tale of a man's love and respect for his horse.


The lyrics use the metaphor of the long yard to represent the horse's retirement. The horse has worked hard his entire life, and now it's time for him to rest. The long yard is a place where horses can graze and rest, surrounded by their mates. The song speaks of the compassion that people should show to their aging horses and how it is cruel to force them to work in the fields when they are no longer able.


The song also speaks of the bond that develops between horses and their owners. The horse in the song has seen a hundred musters and has always been there for his owner. The singer recognizes that the horse is entitled to kindness in his later years and that he deserves to spend his summers relaxing by the river, surrounded by the sweetest grasses.


Line by Line Meaning

Yes he's lookin' kind of jaded
The horse is showing signs of age and fatigue.


And his sight is not the best
The horse is losing some of its vision.


And the hair around his muzzle's turnin' grey
The horse is getting old, as evidenced by the grey hair around its mouth.


He has seen a hundred musters
The horse has been a part of many cattle drives over the years.


And I think it's only fair
It is the right thing to do.


We leave him in the longyard here today
The horse will be left in the longyard to rest and live out his remaining days.


He was broken in the sixties
The horse was trained in the 1960s.


Maybe sixty three or four
It is uncertain exactly when the horse received his training.


Never faltered always seemed to be on hand
The horse has always been reliable and dependable.


Never have I seen him beaten
The horse has never been defeated by a bullock during a cattle drive.


By a bullock in the bush
Bullocks in the bush were known to be dangerous during cattle drives.


And at a night watch he was pick of all the land.
The horse was the best choice for night watch duty among all the available horses.


So leave him out there in the longyard
The horse should be left in the longyard to live out his remaining days.


Do not rush him
The horse should be given time to rest and relax in the longyard.


Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
The horse should be left with his friend, another horse with a bald spot on its coat.


With his mates that he can graze
The horse has other horses with which he can graze and spend time.


he can laze with
The horse can relax and be lazy with his horse friends.


Leave him there and we will turn him out today
The horse will be left in the longyard and then turned out to live the remainder of his days on the property.


He's entitled to some kindness
The horse deserves some compassion and generosity.


In return for all he's been
The horse should be rewarded for his years of service.


Now he's failin' and his step is gettin' slow
The horse is showing signs of physical decline.


Let him squander his last summer
Allow the horse to use his last summer as he wants.


By the river with his mates
Let the horse be with his horse friends near the river.


In the paddock where the sweetest grasses grow
Allow the horse to graze in a paddock where the grass is the sweetest and most plentiful.


Leave him there till after smoko
The horse should be left in the longyard until after the tea break for the day.


And we'll catch him
The horse will be caught when it is time to turn him out to the paddock.


We'll pull his tail and turn him out today
The horse will be led out to the paddock by pulling on his tail.


Yeah, leave him out there in the longyard
It is best to leave the horse in the longyard to rest.


We'll pull his tail and turn him out today
The horse will be led out to the paddock by pulling on his tail.


Leave him there and we will turn him out today
The horse will be left in the longyard and then turned out to live the remainder of his days on the property.




Contributed by Caden R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@darioburatovich2240

This song makes me a bit teary eyed.We arrived as immigrants from Argentina on. 24 of October 1980.And we brought with us bits of our past souls in the form of books and records.Amongst those records with Argentinian folk songs, there is one song called "El Corralero", it could be said that song its this same song, about a noble old horse, who after a life of work is spending his ( animals and people are "he or she" in Spanish) last years near the "corral" ,the yard.
The song is really sad, since the character of the station hand in the song's lyrics says:

" how do they suppose that I,after rising him since he was a foal, could sink a knife in his chest,just because the boss order it".

Terrible Aussie draughts make pastures and feed prescious, old horses no longer useful can be a menace to the survival of younger and more useful ones.
In his song, Slim is making a pledge for the old horse's life, asking to let him spend "his" last summers with "his" mates.
Similar environments and country lifestyles and work and hardships, inspire similar poetry and songs and emotions.
Not many young people, I guess, listen to Slim Dusty nowadays in 2020, and the old country traditions and legends originated in the lifestyle and hard work of early Australia have lost.meaning and are hard to understand or to inspire interest in the young and technologically savvy.
Slowly, on both sides of the ocean, all this is fading into the past.



@ucanleaveyourhaton

Yes he's lookin' kind of jaded and his sight is not the best
And the hair around his muzzle's turnin' grey
He has seen a hundred musters and I think it's only fair
That we leave him in the longyard here today
He was broken in the sixties, maybe sixty three or four
And never faltered, always seemed to be on hand
Never have I seen him beaten by a bullock in the bush
And at a night watch he was pick of all the land.
So leave him out there in the longyard do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
With his mates that he can graze, he can laze with
Leave him there and we will turn him out today
Hey !
Yes he’s lookin kinda jaded and his sight is not the best
And the hair around his muzzle’s turnin grey
He has seen a hundred musters and I think it’s only fair
That we leave him in the longyard here today
He’s entitled to some comfort for all the deeds he’s done
Now he’s failin and his step is gettin slow
So let him squander his last summer by the river with his mates
In the paddock where the sweetest grasses grow
So leave him out there in the longyard do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the baldy bay
With his mates that he can graze he can laze with
Leave him there and we will turn him out today
Leave him out there in the longyard do not rush him
Leave him out there with his mate the badly bay

(Spoken) Leave him there till after smoko,
… and we'll catch him
We'll pull his tail and turn him out today
Yeah we’ll pull his tail and turn him out today
That’s right !



All comments from YouTube:

@bluegrass818

I had never heard him sing until Christine Stretton introduced him on FB awhile back Love his style of Country music. Thanks Ms Stretton!

@lynhackney9411

I Absolutely Love Slim Dusty for listening to him was my very very safe place my real home where nobody could have ever heart me. I Truly thank my gorgeous father for giving him to me and all there life lessons and there LOVE TO ME ALWAYS ! You both know that I would not be here right now if I didn’t have my Poppy and Nanna and my very Special Uncle and Auntie. You both are my Real Father and Mother. Thank you so very much for Listening to me and opening up your Hearts to me Thank you so very much for everything I Love you all so very much. I Love Slim Dusty’s Aussie sing Song Record. Xxxx

@user-px4iu1gx8c

Hello Lyn, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus??

@GrahamJames14

I was raised on the land and loved my horses . This song is very special to me . I certainly miss Slim Dusty and his music . We are very fortunate to have CDs to keep . It is a shame though that there will be no new releases , new songs from Slim since he is gone forever as will we all be eventually . 

@excell123

on facebook Graham is the SLIM DUSTY FAN GROUP, u would love it.

@wilfredheggart2988

@@excell123 what you type in to get too the fan group

@matthewcuellar7879

Easily one of my favorite country songs! It definitely captures how you ought to feel about an old gelding.

@grekiely6245

I have often thought if Kelly Dixon knew of the evergreen he created with this classic, Nice to see Slim, Charley and Rod with this. Australia has some of the world's top country and I'm privileged to like it.

@tonylarkin7564

Sang this song to my daughter when she Was a baby, until she was 2 after that She could Sing it with ME Thanks.. Slim A Aussis Legend Mate Tony Queensland Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺

@undertheblade1

i played this song at my dad's funeral, he was 54 when he passed away on my 30th birthday last yr and i played lights on the hill when i spread his ashes on our favourite fishing spot .... this song means a lot to me cause dad was and still is my hero 

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