It's lonesome away from your kindred and all
 By the camp fire at night where the wild dingoes call,
 But there's nothing so lonesome so morbid or drear
 Than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer.

 Now the publican's anxious for the quota to come
 There's a far away look on the face of the bum
 The maid's gone all cranky and the cook's acting queer
 What a terrible place is a pub with no beer.

 Then the stock-man rides up with his dry dusty throat
 He breasts up to the bar, pulls a wad from his coat,
 But the smile on his face quickly turns to a sneer,
 When the bar man said sadly "The pub's got no beer".

 There's a dog on the 'randah for his master he waits
 But the boss is inside drinking wine with his mates
 He hurries for cover and cringes in fear
 It's no place for a dog round a pub with no beer.

 Old Billy the blacksmith first time in his life
 Has gone home cold sober to his darling wife,
 He walks in the kitchen, she says "You're early, me dear",
 But then he breaks down and he tells her "The pub's got no beer".

Note: Based on Dan Sheahan’s poem “A Pub Without Beer”, and sung to the tune of “Beautiful Dreamer”

Following up on the outback poem, and not summer per se. I wonder how many people remember this song - from the 60s - !?

It was a top hit on the Binaca Hit Parade (Obviously it was also a #1 hit in Australia and the UK!) - how many people remember this English countdown by the late Hamid (Hameed?) Sayani - older brother of Ameen Sayani, who compered the Hindi countdown Binaca Geet Mala on Radio Ceylon?

Hamid also anchored the Cadbury Amateur Hour, where budding singers could exercise their vocal chords.

Hamid Sayani was killed in the Air India plane crash in Bombay in - was it the New Year’s day crash of 1978? Can’t seem to find it on the web. This great and lovable personality seems to have left almost no footprint on the web.

Delhi AIR’s own response to Radio Ceylon was “A Date with You” on Friday evenings, and Hamid also compered this show. On Madras AIR, I can’t remember the name of the show, but the compere was Gayathri Krishnaswamy nee Grace Adiappa.

India had other radio greats like Laurence “Bobby” Clark (?), Melville D’Mello, Roshan Menon, Lotika Ratnam, .. to name just a few. And there is almost nothing to be learned about them on the web.

— Mallika

Links

On the history of the song:

http://www.abc.net.au/tropic/stories/s1666387.htm

http://www.poparchives.com.au/feature.php?id=545
http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/locations/apubwithnobeer.htm

Sheahan’s original poem:
http://www.wtv-zone.com/phyrst/audio/nfld/04/pubnobeer.htm

Gordon Parsons biography:

http://www.abc.net.au/snc/stories/s878245.htm