Pay Day At The Pub
Slim Dusty Lyrics


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Now the weary week has ended, it's pay day on the job
Let's go down to the local and mingle with the mob
You'll meet the dinkum Aussies, rough and ready as they are
With hard faces brown as leather, lined up around the bar
Someone is sure to greet you, you chaps I'm glad to see
Come on you pair of somethings, and have a drink with me
While the barmaid juggles glasses and the boss works with a will
For he loves to hear the rattle of the silver in the till
Now the rousabout is busy, he hasn't time to think
And I'm sure he'd never hear you if you ask him for a drink
Oh the barrels that are heavy will be light ones very soon
When the brumbies come to water on a pay day afternoon
Now the world is such a great place, everyone is doing well
And strange it is to listen to the stories that they tell
Some are ridin' buckin' brumbies, some are up north in the cane
Some are growling at the weather and are wishing it would rain
And there's old Jimmy Wooter in the corner by himself
Telling stories to the bottles that are standing on the shelf
Oh he once was high and mighty though forlorn he's looking now
In a hat that came from nowhere and a torn old Jackie Howe
Now the clock is moving onwards, the lightweights have their fill
But those with more horse power are staying with it still
Some have already had it and are layed out in a swoon
They'll be grumpy when they wake up on a pay day afternoon
Hear the hen-pecked hubbies saying what will become of me
For I told my little woman that I'd hurry home to tea
She's going to play old Harry and whale like one bereft




When she digs into my pockets and she finds there's little left
But if he uses a bit of blarney she'll forgive

Overall Meaning

Slim Dusty's "Pay Day At The Pub" is a classic drinking song about the joys of receiving a paycheck and heading down to the local pub for some drinks with rough and ready Aussie friends. The lyrics detail the scene at the pub, with the barmaid hustling to serve drinks and the boss counting the money in the till. The patrons are a mix of working-class Aussies, some of whom are drinking away the day while others regale each other with stories about their lives, riding bucking brumbies, working up north in the cane fields, or wishing for rain.


Line by Line Meaning

Now the weary week has ended, it's pay day on the job
After a long week of work, it's finally payday and time to spend some hard-earned cash


Let's go down to the local and mingle with the mob
Let's head to the pub and socialize with the regulars


You'll meet the dinkum Aussies, rough and ready as they are
You'll encounter true blue Australians who are tough and rugged


With hard faces brown as leather, lined up around the bar
These Aussies have weathered many storms and their faces show it


Someone is sure to greet you, you chaps I'm glad to see
You're bound to be welcomed by someone happy to see you


Come on you pair of somethings, and have a drink with me
Let's enjoy each other's company over a cold beer


While the barmaid juggles glasses and the boss works with a will
The barmaid is busy serving drinks while the owner is working hard to make money


For he loves to hear the rattle of the silver in the till
The owner takes pleasure in the sound of money being made


Now the rousabout is busy, he hasn't time to think
The laborer is working hard and has no time to relax


And I'm sure he'd never hear you if you ask him for a drink
The laborer is so busy he wouldn't even hear a request for a drink


Oh the barrels that are heavy will be light ones very soon
People will soon be drinking enough to make the previously heavy barrels much lighter


When the brumbies come to water on a pay day afternoon
This is a metaphor for people coming to the pub for a drink on payday afternoon


Now the world is such a great place, everyone is doing well
The atmosphere in the pub is cheerful and everyone is happy


And strange it is to listen to the stories that they tell
It's interesting to hear the stories people share in the pub


Some are ridin' buckin' brumbies, some are up north in the cane
Some patrons have exciting lives, such as riding wild horses or working in sugarcane fields


Some are growling at the weather and are wishing it would rain
Others are complaining about the weather and hoping for rain


And there's old Jimmy Wooter in the corner by himself
There's an old man named Jimmy sitting alone in the corner


Telling stories to the bottles that are standing on the shelf
Jimmy is talking to the liquor bottles as if they were his drinking buddies


Oh he once was high and mighty though forlorn he's looking now
Jimmy was once proud and successful, but now he looks sad and defeated


In a hat that came from nowhere and a torn old Jackie Howe
He's wearing a hat and clothes that are old and worn out


Now the clock is moving onwards, the lightweights have their fill
Time is passing and those who can't hold their liquor have already had enough


But those with more horse power are staying with it still
Those who can handle their alcohol are still drinking


Some have already had it and are layed out in a swoon
Some patrons have already passed out from drinking too much


They'll be grumpy when they wake up on a pay day afternoon
These patrons will be unhappy when they realize they wasted their money on drinks and can't remember anything from the previous night


Hear the hen-pecked hubbies saying what will become of me
Husbands who are controlled by their wives are worried about how they will explain their drunkenness when they get home


For I told my little woman that I'd hurry home to tea
These husbands promised their wives they would come home early, but are still drinking at the pub


She's going to play old Harry and whale like one bereft
Their wives will be angry and will cry


When she digs into my pockets and she finds there's little left
The wives will also be upset when they see their husbands spent most of their paychecks at the pub


But if he uses a bit of blarney she'll forgive
If the husband can come up with a good excuse, the wife might forgive him




Contributed by Layla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

D N

A good one

Jesse Sands

Especially love that final line " When you've sunk a dozen you can climb up to the moon or walk to Booroloola on a Friday Afternoon"!πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ˜

Jesse Sands

Sorry I Mean Pay Day Afternoon!πŸ€”πŸ’°πŸ’΅πŸ’ΈπŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί

Jesse Sands

My favorite Slim Dusty's song! The Penultimate Aussie drinking songπŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸŽΈπŸŽ™οΈπŸŽΌ

PG S

There was no one like slim

Edward Pootchemunka

on my payday I'm always at the pub cheers mate?

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