Things is just the same as ever
On the outer Never-Never,
And you look to find the stock of liquor scanty,
But we found things worse than ordin’ry,
And in fact a bit extraordin’ry
When myself and Bill the Pinker struck the shanty.
‘Shanty,’ says you. ‘What shanty?’
Why, Mulligan’s shanty.
I says ‘Whisky’; Bill says ‘Brandy’;
But there wasn’t either handy,
For the boss was out of liquor in that line.
‘Well, I’ll try a rum,’ says Billy.
‘Got no rum,’ he answers, chilly,
‘But I’ll recommend a decent drop o’ tine.’
‘Tine?’ says Bill; ‘what tine?’
‘Why, turpentine!’
‘Blow me blue!’ says Bill the Pinker,
‘Can’t yer give us a deep-sinker?
Ain’t you got a cask o’ beer behind the screen?’
Bill was getting pretty cranky,
But there wasn’t any swanky.
Says the landlord, ‘Why not have a drop o’ sene?’
‘Sene?’ says Bill; ‘what sene?’
‘Why, kerosene!’
Well, we wouldn’t spend a tanner,
But the boss’s pleasant manner
All our cursing couldn’t easily demolish.
Says he, ‘Strike me perpendic’lar
But you beggars are partic’lar,
Why, the squatter in the parlor’s drinking polish!’
‘Polish?’ says Bill, ‘what polish?’
‘Why, furniture-polish!’
(William Thomas Goodge)
More Poetry from William Thomas Goodge:
William Thomas Goodge Poems based on Topics: Facts- Australia's Pride (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
- The Australian Slanguage (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
- How we drove the Trotter (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
- King Whiskey (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
- The Guile of Dad M'Ginnis (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
- A Matter of Knack (William Thomas Goodge Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Facts PoemsBased on Keywords: kerosene, sene, never-never, demolish, cranky, tanner, turpentine, mulligan, pinker, partic, perpendic