The Mad Cook
Slim Dusty Lyrics


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The old time cooks of stock camps they take their jobs to heart
Though I knew that something had occurred to give our cook a start
He shivered like a dingo that had took a poisoned bait
Cursed heaven earth and angels all the souls in hell and fate

Then shis fist and muttered tore his hair and scratched his head
He stamped his feet and shouted someone's doped the flamin' bread
For a little while he pondered then he started off again
And I sat and thought in silence if the poor old chap was sane

Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed for what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be

Next he took a sidestep and careered around the packs
Sort of doubled up with pain and grabbed the flamin' axe
He turned upon the horse tailer who bolted like a shot
And consigned the whole damn outfit to the regions that are hot

Next he talked of mongrels and deadbeats that he knew
His curses gettin‘ close to home as round the packs he flew
His rage was so tremendous I'd thought he'd bust a vein
For he really now convinced me that he truly was insane, hey!

Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed but what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be
He ran around the campfire then kicked the billy can
He must have hurt his toe because he limped now as he ran
And this calmed him down a little bit and brought him to a halt
But he scattered all the pepper out and threw away the salt

All the flour in the pack bags was emptied out as well
Then he collapsed unconscious and lay down where he fell
Oh he wasn't a bad old chap at heart and harmful not the least
Oh the trouble was he'd set the bread and forgot the flamin' yeast

Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed but what I did not know
What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow




But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
Oh this would be ended and this song would never be

Overall Meaning

Slim Dusty's song "The Mad Cook" is a humorous anecdote about a cook in a stock camp who becomes irate after realizing that his bread has not risen due to forgetting to add yeast. The singer describes the cook's increasingly erratic behavior which includes shivering, cursing, stomping, shouting, grabbing an axe, scattering pepper, throwing away salt, and collapsing unconscious. The cook's frustration eventually leads him to blame mongrels and deadbeats, and the entire camp is consigned to hell. The singer admits that he is unsure what caused the cook's sudden anger but knows to keep his distance. The song's playful melody and comical lyrics make it a lighthearted commentary on the perils of cooking in difficult conditions.


Line by Line Meaning

The old time cooks of stock camps they take their jobs to heart
The cooks in the stock camps are very serious about their jobs


Though I knew that something had occurred to give our cook a start
The singer senses that something has happened to upset the cook


He shivered like a dingo that had took a poisoned bait
The cook is trembling with fear and anger, like a poisoned dingo


Cursed heaven earth and angels all the souls in hell and fate
The cook is angry and cursing everything and everyone, including heaven, earth, angels, and the afterlife


Then shis fist and muttered tore his hair and scratched his head
The cook is so upset that he is clenching his fists, muttering to himself, and pulling his hair


He stamped his feet and shouted someone's doped the flamin' bread
The cook accuses someone of drugging the bread and is yelling and stomping his feet


For a little while he pondered then he started off again
The cook takes a moment to think, but quickly returns to ranting and raving


And I sat and thought in silence if the poor old chap was sane
The artist wonders if the cook is mentally stable, while quietly observing him


Yes our cook was in a rage it seemed for what I did not know
The cook is very angry, but the artist doesn't know what's causing it


What him so cantankerous and gave him such a blow
The artist speculates on what has caused the cook's anger and outburst


But I knew I'd better watch it if he came to close to me
The singer is wary of the cook and afraid of getting too close


Next he took a sidestep and careered around the packs
The cook moves around erratically, dodging the supplies


Sort of doubled up with pain and grabbed the flamin' axe
The cook is in so much agony he doubles over and grabs an axe


He turned upon the horse tailer who bolted like a shot
The cook directs his anger toward the horse trailer, and the person who was tending to it runs away


And consigned the whole damn outfit to the regions that are hot
The cook curses the entire group and wishes them ill


Next he talked of mongrels and deadbeats that he knew
The cook starts ranting about people he thinks are worthless or bad


His curses getting close to home as round the packs he flew
The cook's insults start sounding more and more personal as he continues moving around the supplies


His rage was so tremendous I'd thought he'd bust a vein
The cook is so furious that the singer worries he might have a heart attack or stroke


He ran around the campfire then kicked the billy can
The cook runs around the fire and kicks over the pot


He must have hurt his toe because he limped now as he ran
The cook hurt his foot while kicking the can and is now limping


And this calmed him down a little bit and brought him to a halt
Kicking the can seems to tire the cook out and calm him down


But he scattered all the pepper out and threw away the salt
The cook still has some anger left and throws seasoning everywhere


All the flour in the pack bags was emptied out as well
The cook makes a mess by emptying out the bags of flour


Then he collapsed unconscious and lay down where he fell
The cook passes out and falls to the ground


Oh he wasn't a bad old chap at heart and harmful not the least
Despite his outburst, the cook is actually a good person who means no harm


Oh the trouble was he'd set the bread and forgot the flamin' yeast
The reason for the cook's anger was that he forgot to add yeast to the bread dough




Contributed by Eva K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@marlenesullivan3113

ANOTHER GEM OF A SONG 🎸

@robcowles3632

love  love  it  I met a cook matching this guy  -but the tucker was always tasty when
your hunhrey 

@stuartskelly8521

rob cowles

@CreeceSlimdusty

Hay

@CreeceSlimdusty

Slim dusty is the best thing ever

@vincentmillwood

The mad cook by slim dusty rip mate

@James-yx1bh

🕊😇🕊

@goldenhawk952

happy fun song