THE SOUTHERN CROSS IS CALLING ME
(Joe Paolacci)

He hasn't had a break you know for 27 years
Non-stop in a barber shop he owns near Station Pier
He came from sunny Naples, just after World War II
With aching heart, he played his part and bid his folks adieu

Chorus:
So goodbye sunny Naples, my loving family too
The Southern Cross is calling me to build a life that's new
I'm off to see Australia, the work is plenty there
My bag is packed, I won't look back - I'll make a pile, I swear

He took a boat to Melbourne where employment was in plenty
He got a job with a yankee mob in a motor car assembly
He rented up in Carlton, and money carefully spent
With families four and sometimes more, he shared his every cent.

'G'day mate!' they say to him, he answers 'Same to you'
He feels so queer, they all drink beer and yell, 'It's your shout Blue!'
And this goes on till six o'clock when the barman yells 'It's time!'
And it's down the hatch, there's a bus to catch on the Gardenvale line

He met a girl from Williamstown and courted her at Mass
She stole his heart right from the start, a freckled Aussie lass
They looked up Father Murphy, got married with great haste
And they honeymooned in a tiny room they found in Elgin Place.

He hasn't had a break you know for 27 years
Non-stop in a barber shop, he owns near Station Pier
He came from sunny Naples, just after World War II
And with aching heart, he played his part and bid his folks adieu

This stands out in that it is not about Irish, Scots or English immigrants. It was posted to the forum a couple of decades ago by Bob Bolton. Evidently, Joe was 2-years-old when he came to Australia and the song was based on his father's experiences and that of other Italian immigrants. It seems that Joe's dad had a good experience. Apart from being racist, Australians could be offensive and derogatory towards European immigrants. I recall that, in some circles, a line was drawn down the middle of Europe - on one side 'bloody dagoes' and, on the other, 'bloody balts'.

Youtube clip

--Stewie.