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.
The Hangover Song
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there's someone knocking’ on your front door
And you haven't got a drink and you're sick to the core
you've got what they call a hangover
Well your head is splitting and your stomachs in pain
And you tremble when you hear that knock again
And you're certain that the knocker is the law that's plain
Well you try to think back on the night before
you've got a vague recollection but you're not too sure
You were out with a woman it's her husband for sure
it's a dreadful thing a hangover
Oh you drove home drunk but you think you were right
But you seem to recall going through red lights
it's the law at the door and he's got you in his sights
It all looks bad with a hangover
Oh you look into the mirror and you've got a black eye
And there's blood on your shirt from the other guy
Must be him at the door I wish I could die
Would be better than this hangover
Well you pluck up courage and you open up the door
Expecting a punch or a bluey from the law
Or a jealous husband with a gun in his paw
At least it would end this hangover
Well strike me pink you near drop dead
Why it's Don and Bert and Stan and Ned
With a carton of coldies for your aching head
Medicine for a hangover
Well you start to recover and get a couple down
You think things over oh weren’t you a clown
To worry if the law or a husband came round
Ohhh it must have been a bad hangover
So you all head off to the local once more
And you're a little self conscious as you walk through the door
But at closing time you're as bad as before
And you're in for another hangover
Oh show me the way to go home cause you're in for another hangover
In "The Hangover Song," Slim Dusty sings about the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking. The song describes the physical and emotional toll that a hangover takes on a person. The first verse speaks of waking up to someone knocking on your door, feeling sick to your core, and understanding that you are experiencing a hangover. The second verse describes the splitting headache, stomach pain, and fear of the law or someone catching you in a lie about the night before. The last two verses illustrate the depression the morning after and the relief of finding old friends on the doorstep with a carton of beer, a cure for the hangover.
The song is a warning to people about the consequences of excessive drinking. The vivid description of the symptoms of a hangover and the fear of discovery shows the ugly side of alcohol consumption. Slim Dusty portrays a realistic and cautionary tale of what can happen when one goes overboard on drinking.
Slim Dusty was an Australian country music singer who wrote over 1000 songs during his career. He was one of the most prolific and successful artists in Australian music history. He was also one of the first to use Australian slang and Aboriginal language in songs, which made his music stand out in the world of country music.
Line by Line Meaning
When you wake up in the morning of the night before
When you wake up in the morning after a night of drinking
And there's someone knocking’ on your front door
And someone is knocking on your front door
And you haven't got a drink and you're sick to the core
And you are out of alcohol and feeling awful
you've got what they call a hangover
You have a hangover
Well your head is splitting and your stomachs in pain
Your head hurts and your stomach hurts
And you tremble when you hear that knock again
You feel nervous when you hear the knock again
And you're certain that the knocker is the law that's plain
And you are sure that the person knocking is the police
Oh you think the worst with a hangover
You think the worst when you have a hangover
Well you try to think back on the night before
You try to remember what happened the night before
you've got a vague recollection but you're not too sure
You remember bits and pieces, but not everything
You were out with a woman it's her husband for sure
You were with a woman, and you are sure that her husband is the one knocking
it's a dreadful thing a hangover
Having a hangover is a terrible feeling
Oh you drove home drunk but you think you were right
You drove home while intoxicated and thought you were okay to do so
But you seem to recall going through red lights
You vaguely remember running red lights
it's the law at the door and he's got you in his sights
The police are at the door and they are looking for you
It all looks bad with a hangover
Having a hangover makes everything seem worse
Oh you look into the mirror and you've got a black eye
You look in the mirror and see that you have a black eye
And there's blood on your shirt from the other guy
There is blood on your shirt from a fight with someone else
Must be him at the door I wish I could die
You think the person at the door is the person you got into a fight with, and you wish you could die
Would be better than this hangover
Having a hangover is so bad that dying seems like a better option
Well you pluck up courage and you open up the door
You gather your courage and open the door
Expecting a punch or a bluey from the law
You expect the police to hit you or arrest you
Or a jealous husband with a gun in his paw
Or the woman's husband to be waiting with a gun
At least it would end this hangover
At least your hangover would be over if something bad happened
Well strike me pink you near drop dead
You are surprised and shocked
Why it's Don and Bert and Stan and Ned
It turns out that the people knocking are your friends Don, Bert, Stan, and Ned
With a carton of coldies for your aching head
They bring you a carton of cold beer to help your hangover
Medicine for a hangover
Beer is like medicine for a hangover
Well you start to recover and get a couple down
You start to feel better and drink a few beers
You think things over oh weren’t you a clown
You reflect on your actions and feel foolish
To worry if the law or a husband came round
You realize that worrying about getting caught by the police or the woman's husband was unnecessary
Ohhh it must have been a bad hangover
You realize that your hangover was really bad
So you all head off to the local once more
You and your friends go back to the local pub
And you're a little self conscious as you walk through the door
You feel a bit embarrassed as you enter the pub
But at closing time you're as bad as before
But by closing time, you are just as drunk as you were before
And you're in for another hangover
And you know you will have another hangover soon
Oh show me the way to go home cause you're in for another hangover
Oh, you want to go home because you know you will have another hangover soon
Contributed by Vivian D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-tr1ej9if3j
I'll never get drunk ,I'll never get drunk, I'll never get drunk again.....I'd like to have a drink with Duncun .
@henningolesen2506
great song
@makmar4484
Cool singing