Oh the odour of the ale and the smell of tobacco
The scent of the old sour tea
All around joy and laughter
Bringing me more misery
I hear old Slim twanging on the jukebox
Singing of a life's that's free
I see you in the bar from the jailhouse window
Drinkin' with a fool like me
Yesterday it was a big prospector
Last week it was me
Today I see you got yourself a buffalo man
Who will the next fool be?
I wonder will be smile when you've got all his money
Will he finish up where I am?
I see you in the bar from the jail house window
Drinkin' with another man
Corner of the bar sits the newspaper editor
Guess he's got his paper to bed
Pretty soon now they can read all about it
Read all the things you've said
See him frown as he reads the first copy
Scans it line by line
I guess it's gotta be around 330
Cause old Jimmy's always on time
Oh the odour of the ale and the smell of tobacco
The scent of the old sour tea
All around joy and laughter
Bringing me more misery
I hear old Slim twanging on the jukebox
Singing of a life's that's free
I see you in the bar from the jailhouse window
Drinkin' with a fool like me
See the black eye on the tall young stranger
Oh no he's no friend of mine
How was I to know that he's a policeman
None of you told me in time
See Bob Tudawli and the great white hunter
And old run jungle Jack
Laughin and drinkin' none of ya thinkin'
Of the thirsy prisioner out the back
Every moment is an hour of torture
How the long hours pass
Tasting in my imagnination every frosted glass
When I'm free im gonna seek and find him
Find that fiend of hell
The man who built the window of the lockup facing
The garden of the Vic Hotel
Oh the odour of the ale and the smell of tobacco
The scent of the old sour tea
All around joy and laughter
Bringing me more misery
I hear old Slim twanging on the jukebox
Singing of a life's that's free
I see you in the bar from the jailhouse window
Drinkin' with a fool like me
I see you in the bar from the lockup window
Drinkin' with a fool like me
With another fool like me
I'm barred from the bar by the bars on my window
And you're with a fool like me