G'day there Joe,

I'll slip this one in before getting away to my meeting!

I seem to have led everyone, myself included, astray with the name I (mis-?)remembered for this song. I learned it, about 32 years ago, from Bill Scott's brother Alan and I'm sure he called it The Man Who Never Returned - possibly by association to The Ship That Never Returned ... or because of the recent popularity of The MTA Song, the verses of which end with the line "(He's the) man who never returned". Bob Michell reckoned that Cyril Duncan thought that his grandfather had written this song ... but don't they all?

I can't really check up on this, as my copy was a third or fourth carbon copy from Alan's typewriter ... and it remained for years in the bottom of the case to an accordion I no longer have! Anyway, here are the words - and the tune (which has some variance from HS Work's original) in Alan of Oz's MIDItext format.

Only One More Drink
Collected by Bob Michell from Cyril Duncan, Nerang, Queensland, in 1962

'Only one more drink', said the hardy bushman,
As he leaned across the bar;
'Only one more drink of that good old whisky
Then away to the camp so far'.

So he called them in and all were welcome
And his cheque went round like grand.
And for weeks and weeks there's been boozers watching
For that man's return again.

And now he's back among the ranges
To the life he as a boy he learned,
For to swing an axe and to make the damper
But he yearns for the lights afar.

So he works away and he saves his money
And his cheque builds up again,
After weeks and weeks the boozers are happy
For that man's returned again.

Bill Scott, of Yeerongpilly, Qld, also collected a verse and chorus from a Mr Gleeson of Townsville, Qld

MIDI file: One-More.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 2/4 24 8

Tempo: 120 (500000 microsec/crotchet)

Start

0240 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 60 080 0144 0 60 064 0036 1 60 080 0048 0 60 064 0012 1 65 080 0288 0 65 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0180 1 72 080 0012 0 72 064 0018 0 72 064 0030 1 74 080 0192 0 74 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0672 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 64 080 0113 0 64 064 0007 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0192 0 65 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 60 080 0672 0 60 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:2/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
C6C2|G4G4|E4C3C|F6G2|A2c2B2A2|G4c3c|d4c4|
B8|-B4A2B2|c4B4|A4E2E2|F4G4|A2c2B2A2|G4E2E2|
D4C4|C8|-C3||

Regards,

Bob Bolton