My Heart's In Australia Now

(album: Country Way Of Life - 1995)

Old Patrick O'Shaughnessy sits at the bar
Cradling a tall glass of stout
His white flowing beard covers most of his face
And his wild Irish eyes gaze about
He was born of an age now forgotten
Somewhere in the long distant past
Now his day's mostly spent
With his old elbow bent
In the bar of the old Northern Star

I walked to him and I said:
"G'day, mate. Can I refill your glass there old mate?"
His eyes slowly lifted until they met mine
And a smile creased his weathered old face
I said: "Mate, do you miss the old country?
Does your heart ever yearn for the green?"
His eyes misted over as he drew a breath
He said: "I'll tell you how I really fell
This country and I, we've been mates far too long
For me to walk out on her now
When times weren't real good
Or I was short of a quid
There was always someone to help out
I'm as dinkum an Aussie as you'll ever meet
And my accent don't matter nohow
I was born of the green, and this world I have seen
But my heart's in Australia now."

I lost track of the time as we yarned there alone
At the very far end of the bar
And by closing time we were fairly well primed
That night in the old Northern Star
I bid him good day and I said I'm away
And I wandered off into the night
But I couldn't forget the words that he said
They kept coming back time after time

This country and I, we've been mates far too long
For me to walk out on her now
When times weren't real good
Or I was short of a quid
There was always someone to help out
I'm as dinkum an Aussie as you'll ever meet
And my accent don't matter nohow
I was born of the green, and this world I have seen
But my heart's in Australia now
I was born of the green, and this world I have seen
But my heart's in Australia now