Aussie Barbeque
-Eric Bogle

When the summer sun is shining on Australia's happy land
Round countless fires, in strange attire in many solemn bands
Of glum Australians watching as the lunch goes up in flames
By the smoke and the smell you can plainly tell, that it's barby time again

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque!

The Scots eat lots of haggis, the French eat snails and frogs
The Greeks throw kakis on their mousakis, and the Chinese love hot dogs
The Welshmen love to have a leek, the Irish like thier stew
But you just can't beat that half-cooked meat at an Aussie barbeque

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque

There's flies stuck to the margarine, the bread has gone rock hard
The kids are fighting and the mossies are biting, who forgot the ___ again?
There's bull ants in the eskie, and the beer is running out
And what you saw in Mom's cole slaw, you just don't think about

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque

And when the barby's over and your homeward way you wend
With a queezy tummy on the family dummy, many lonely hours you'll spend
You might find yourself reflecting, like many often do
Come rain or shine that's the bloody last time that you'll have a barbeque!

When the steaks are burning fiercely, when the smoke gets in your eyes
When the snacks all taste like fried toothpaste and your mouth is full of flies
It's a national institution, it's Australian through and through
So come on mate and grab your plate, let's have a barbeque