By way of introduction...
Well, like I was saying, once I was a young man... I lived in this place called north melbourne, which is a long way from here...and even further from now.
At the turn of the century (I'll leave you to guess which), I was involved in the vaudeville scene and belonged to a troupe of musicians and players who worked the circuit thereabouts. We never played the Town Hall, but I used to drink there.
For a time I lived close by, and I met all manner of folks down in the dimly lit confines of that little pub. Shell was one of them. Ash was another. We spent some evenings in each other's company, not all of them enchanted. I was leading a lavish double life at the time, and come chucking out time I'd shuffle off home (alone, I might add) and set about composing my little ditties in the smaller hours, inspired by what was said - and what remained unsaid - in that smoky little back room.
Now that some years have passed, here they are: my small hour smoky back bar vaudeville ditties, from the deep south (of north melbourne).
hf