Mulligan's Shanty (1898)
by William Thomas Goodge
1963653Mulligan's Shanty1898William Thomas Goodge

   Things is just the same as ever
   On the outer Never-Never,
And you look to find the stock of liquor scanty;
   But we found things worse than ordin'ry,
   And in fact a bit extraordin'ry,
When myself and Bill the Pinker struck the shanty.
   “Shanty?” says you. “What shanty?”
   Why, Mulligan's shanty!

   I says “Whisky”; Bill says “Brandy”;
   But there wasn't either handy,
For the boss was out of liquor in that line.
   “Well, I'll try a rum,” says Billy.
   “Got no rum,” he answers, chilly,
“But I'll recommend a decent drop o' tine.”
   “Tine?” says Bill; “what tine?”
   “Why, turpentine!”

   “Blow me blue!” says Bill the Pinker,
   “Can't yer give us a deep-sinker?
Ain't yer got a cask o' beer behind the screen?”
   Bill was getting pretty cranky,
   But there wasn't any swanky.
Says the landlord, “Why not try a drop o' sene?”
   “Sene?” says Bill; “what sene?”
   “Why, kerosene!”

   Well, we wouldn't spend a tanner,
   But the boss's pleasant manner
All our cursing couldn't easily demolish.
   Says he, “Strike me perpendic'lar
   But you beggars are partic'lar,
Why, the squatter in the parlour's drinking polish!”
   “Polish?” says Bill; “what polish?”
   “Why, furniture-polish!”

This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:

  • published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
  • anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
  • government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).

This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.

Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.


This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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