“A Pub with No Beer” by Slim Dusty
Since the main purpose of the singer as well as the other characters’ visit to the pub is to get drunk with beer, they are disappointed at the news that the pub has run out of beer. It is this feeling that the writer expresses throughout the stanzas of “A Pub with No Beer”.
The singer in the first lines reflects on how lonely it is to be away from your relatives, then makes a remark that there’s nothing lonelier than staying in a bar with no beer. He goes on to describe several different people including a publican, a stockman, a swaggie and a Blacksmith named Billy who came with an expectation but realized how terrible it was that the bar did not have beer. The song ends with the writer stating that there were still customers in the pub despite its situation, while those who love wine seemed unaffected by the news.
Summary
A Pub With No Beer highlights the high consumption of beer particularly in Australia while iterating on how disappointing it is for people to get to a club and realize there is no beer.
Facts about “A Pub with No Beer”
This song became a global hit after it was released in 1957 by Australian singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, Slim Dusty.
It was written by Gordon Parsons with inspiration from Dan Sheahan’s poem titled “A Pub Without Beer”.
It became the first single from an Australian artist to make its way onto any chart in Britain and also to be certified gold.
In 2001, the song was ranked number five on the list of “Best Australian Songs” compiled by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). It was also added to the registry of the “Sounds of Australia” under the National Film and Sound Archive.
Since this classic came out in the 1950s, it has been performed by a number of big artists, including Johnny Cash.
This song became very popular in Canada in 1958 following a strike action by workers of the local brewery companies.
