Hello Dan, it's Joe here, I hope you're keeping well
It's the 21st of December, and now they're ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour, I'll be out of here by July
Won't you kiss my kids on Christmas Day
Please don't let 'em cry for me
I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella's flying in from the coast
They say it's gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won't stop the roast
Who's gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won't taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don't forget a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang
And give my love to Angus and to Frank and Dolly
Tell 'em all I'm sorry I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I'll be thinking of her early Christmas morning
When I'm standing in line
I hear Mary's got a new boyfriend, I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one?
What was his name again?
Just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I'm even gonna miss Roger
'Cause there's sure as hell no one in here I want to fight
Oh praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I'm really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You'll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back
And you'll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don't hold her too close
Oh brother please don't stab me in the back
I didn't mean to say that, it's just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact
You know I love her badly, she's the one to save me
I'm gonna make some gravy, I'm gonna taste the fat
Tell her that I'm sorry, yeah I love her badly
Tell 'em all I'm sorry
And kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I'll be making gravy
I'll be making plenty, I'm gonna pay 'em all back
It's the 21st of December, and now they're ringing the last bells
If I get good behaviour, I'll be out of here by July
Won't you kiss my kids on Christmas Day
Please don't let 'em cry for me
I guess the brothers are driving down from Queensland
And Stella's flying in from the coast
They say it's gonna be a hundred degrees, even more maybe
But that won't stop the roast
Who's gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won't taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don't forget a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang
And give my love to Angus and to Frank and Dolly
Tell 'em all I'm sorry I screwed up this time
And look after Rita, I'll be thinking of her early Christmas morning
When I'm standing in line
I hear Mary's got a new boyfriend, I hope he can hold his own
Do you remember the last one?
What was his name again?
Just a little too much cologne
And Roger, you know I'm even gonna miss Roger
'Cause there's sure as hell no one in here I want to fight
Oh praise the Baby Jesus, have a Merry Christmas
I'm really gonna miss it, all the treasure and the trash
And later in the evening, I can just imagine
You'll put on Junior Murvin and push the tables back
And you'll dance with Rita, I know you really like her
Just don't hold her too close
Oh brother please don't stab me in the back
I didn't mean to say that, it's just my mind it plays up
Multiplies each matter, turns imagination into fact
You know I love her badly, she's the one to save me
I'm gonna make some gravy, I'm gonna taste the fat
Tell her that I'm sorry, yeah I love her badly
Tell 'em all I'm sorry
And kiss the sleepy children for me
You know one of these days, I'll be making gravy
I'll be making plenty, I'm gonna pay 'em all back
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On a brighter note, tried the recipe and the
"dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and extra tang" does work!
and that's Australians for you. Nothing will Stop the Christmas Roast - not even the weather. Good one, as usual Paul!
It's a beautiful sad song, but it still has some very funny bits when talking about his extended family. It sums up an Australian Christmas very well, with the hot weather but insistence at sticking to a traditional Christmas meal.
what i mean is when you first enter prison all you can think about is the people and thing that you left on the outside.
Thats the real sence I get from this song because he talks about the entire family in an affectionate way aspsialy "I'm even gonna miss Roger 'Cause there's sure as hell no one in here I want to fight"
A soldier or sailor far from home, will relate to these lyrics too.
It's the separation.
As for the meaning, I think you can take it literally, a man being in prison and not being there for Christmas, or you can take it figuratively. Maybe something has happened, and he can't be there for Christmas.
The power of this song, for me, lies in the evocative lyrics and how they perfectly match the plaintive and sad tone of the music. The instrumental fits the wording, in pace and structure.
Why is he in prison?
A clue is a reference to dancing to "Junior Murvin" songs. Never heard of him, and 2 minutes on google revealed that he is a reggae artist, whose first album is called "Police and Thieves" !
I love how a songwriter can bury something in another layer of a song, in such a subtle way.