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.

The Old Jimmy Woodser
Slim Dusty Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The old Jimmy Woodser comes into the bar
Unwelcomed, unnoticed, unknown,
Too old and too odd to be drunk with, by far;
So he glides to the end where the lunch baskets are,
And they say that he tipples alone.
And they say that he tipples alone.

His frockcoat is green and the nap is no more,

And his hat is not quite at its best;
He wears the peaked collar our grandfathers wore,
The black-ribbon tie that was legal of yore,
And the coat buttoned over his breast.
And the coat buttoned over his breast.

But I dreamed, as he tasted his 'bitter' to-night,
And the lights in the bar-room grew dim,
That the shades of the friends of that other day's light,
And of girls that were bright in our grandfathers" sight,
Lifted shadowy glasses to him.
Lifted shadowy glasses to him.

Yes the old Jimmy Woodser comes into the bar
Unwelcomed, unnoticed, unknown,
Too old and too odd to be drunk with, by far;
So he glides to the end where the lunch baskets are,
And they say that he tipples alone.

Then I opened the door, and the old man passed out,
With his short, shuffling step and bowed head;
And I sighed; for I felt, as I turned me about,
An odd sense of respect, born of whisky no doubt,
For a life that was fifty years dead.
For a life that was fifty years dead.

And I thought, there are times when our memory trends
Through the future, as 'twere on its own,
That I, out-of-date ere my pilgrimage ends,
In a new-fashioned bar to dead loves and dead friends

Might drink, like the old man, alone.
Might drink, like the old man, alone.

Overall Meaning

"The Old Jimmy Woodser" is a melancholic song written by Slim Dusty about an elderly man who frequents a local bar but is ignored by the patrons. He wears outdated clothes and sits alone while sipping his drink. The singer observes the man and feels a sense of nostalgia for a time long gone. He imagines the old man in his youth surrounded by friends and loved ones who are now merely shadows. However, despite his isolation, the old man commands respect for the life he has lived.

The lyrics paint a picture of a much different era, where clothing styles and social norms have changed. The old man's attire is outdated, and his generation has been forgotten. The song's theme is loneliness, aging, and nostalgia, and the feelings that the main character evokes in the singer have a universal appeal.

Overall, the song allows us to appreciate the journey of aging and the impact that the past can have on our present. The old Jimmy Woodser is not to be ignored, and his presence is a reminder of a bygone era that is still remembered.

Line by Line Meaning

The old Jimmy Woodser comes into the bar
An old man named Jimmy Woodser visits a bar

Unwelcomed, unnoticed, unknown,
Jimmy is not greeted or acknowledged when he enters the bar

Too old and too odd to be drunk with, by far;
Jimmy is seen as too old and strange to associate with

So he glides to the end where the lunch baskets are,
Jimmy goes to the end of the bar where the lunch baskets are located

And they say that he tipples alone.
Rumors suggest that Jimmy drinks by himself

His frockcoat is green and the nap is no more,
Jimmy's green frockcoat is worn out and no longer has its original texture

And his hat is not quite at its best;
Jimmy's hat is not in the best condition

He wears the peaked collar our grandfathers wore,
Jimmy wears an old-fashioned collar that was popular during his grandfather's time

The black-ribbon tie that was legal of yore,
Jimmy wears a black-ribbon tie that was fashionable in the past

And the coat buttoned over his breast.
Jimmy's coat is buttoned up over his chest

But I dreamed, as he tasted his 'bitter' to-night,
The singer has a dream about Jimmy drinking his beer in the bar that night

And the lights in the bar-room grew dim,
The lights in the bar dimmed as the artist had the dream

That the shades of the friends of that other day's light,
The singer sees the ghosts of Jimmy's old friends in the bar

And of girls that were bright in our grandfathers' sight,
The ghosts of girls who were attractive during the singer's grandfather's time also appear

Lifted shadowy glasses to him.
The ghosts raise their glasses in a toast to Jimmy

Then I opened the door, and the old man passed out,
The artist wakes up from the dream and sees Jimmy leaving the bar

With his short, shuffling step and bowed head;
Jimmy walks with a small, slow stride and his head down

And I sighed; for I felt, as I turned me about,
The singer sighs and feels a sense of respect as he walks away from the bar

An odd sense of respect, born of whisky no doubt,
The singer's respect for Jimmy may have been influenced by the alcohol he drank at the bar

For a life that was fifty years dead.
The artist respects the life that Jimmy once had, which is now long gone

And I thought, there are times when our memory trends
The artist reflects on how memories can transport us to different times

Through the future, as 'twere on its own,
Memories can take us to the future, as if it were happening on its own

That I, out-of-date ere my pilgrimage ends,
The singer realizes that he too, will become out-of-date before he dies

In a new-fashioned bar to dead loves and dead friends
The artist imagines himself drinking in a modern bar while remembering his old friends and lovers who have passed away

Might drink, like the old man, alone.
The singer envisions himself drinking alone, just like Jimmy always did

Contributed by Bella W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS