Botany Bay

Farewell to old England for ever,

Farewell to my rum culls as well,
Farewell to the well-known Old Bailey.
Where I used for to cut such a swell.

Chorus
Singing, too-ral, li-ooral, li-addity,
Singing, too-ral, li-ooral, li-ay,
Singing, too-ral, li-ooral, li-addity,
Singing, too-ral, li-ooral, li-ay.

There's the captain as is our commander,

There's the bo'sun and all the ship's crew,
There's the first- and the second-class passengers,
Knows what we poor convicts goes through.

'Tain't leaving old England we care about,

'Tain't cos we mispells wot we knows,
But because we all light-fingered gentry
Hops round with a log on our toes.

For fourteen long years I have ser-vi-ed,

And for fourteen long years and a day,
For meeting a bloke in the area,
And sneaking his ticker away.

Oh had I the wings of a turtle-dove,

I'd soar on my pinions so high,
Slap bang to the arms of my Polly love,
And in her sweet presence I'd die.

Now, all my young Dook-ies and Duch-ess-es,

Take warning from what I've to say-
Mind all is your own as you touch-es-es,
Or you'll meet us in Botony Bay.

Moreton Bay

One Sunday morning, as I went walking,

By Brisbane waters I chanced to stray.
I heard a pris'ner his fate bewailing
While on the sunny river bank he lay.
"I am a native of Erin's island,
But banished now from my native shore;
They stole me from my aged parents
And from the maiden whom I do adore.

"I've been a prisoner at Port Macquarie,

At Norfolk Island and Emu Plains,
At Castle Hill and at cursed Toongabbie,
At all these settlements I've been in chains.
But of all the places of condemnation
And penal stations in New South Wales,
To Moreton Bay I have found no equal;
Excessive tyranny each day prevails.

"For three long years I was beastly treated

And heavy irons on my legs I wore.
My back with flogging was lacerated
And oft-times painted with my crimson gore.
And many a man from downright starvation
Lies mouldering now underneath the clay,
And Captain Logan he had us mangled
All on the triangles of Moreton Bay.

"Like the Egyptians and ancient Hebrews,

We were oppressed under Logan's yoke,
Till a native black lying there in ambush
Did deal this tyrant his mortal stroke.
My fellow pris'ners be exhilarated
That all such tyrants like death may find,
And when from bondage we are liberated
Our former sufferings will fade from mind.”

Female Transport

Come all young girls, both far and near and listen unto me
While unto you I do unfold what proved my destiny
My mother died when I was young, it caused me to deplore
And I did get my way too soon upon my native shore

Sarah Collins is my name most dreadful is my fate

My father reared me tenderly the truth I do relate
Till enticed by bad company along with many more
It led to my discovery upon my native shore

My trial it approached fast before the judge I stood

And when the judge's sentence passed it fairly chilled my blood
Crying you must be transported for fourteen years or more
And go from hence across the seas unto Van Diemen's shore

It hurt my heart when on a coach I my native town passed by

To see so many I did know it made me heave a sigh
Then to a ship was sent with speed along with many more
Whose aching hearts did grieve to go unto Van Diemen's shore

The sea was rough ran mountains high with us poor girls 'twas hard
No one but God to us came nigh no one did us regard
At length alas we reached the land it grieved us ten times more
That wretched place Van Diemen's Land far from our native shore

They chained us two by two and whipped and lashed along

They cut off our provisions if we did the least thing wrong
They march us in the burning sun until our feet are sore
So hard's our lot now we are got to Van Diemen's shore

We labour hard from morn to night until our bones do ache

Then every one they must obey their mouldy beds must make
We often wish when we lay down we ne'er may rise no more
To meet our savage Governor upon Van Diemen's shore

Every night when I lay down I wet my straw with tears

While wind upon that horrid shore did whistle in our ears
Those dreadful beasts upon that land around our cots do roar
Most dismal is our doom upon Van Diemen's shore

Come all young men and maidens do bad company forsake

If tongue can tell our overthrow it will make your heart to ache
Young girls I pray be ruled by me your wicked ways give o'er
For fear like us you spend your days upon Van Diemen's shore

The Wild Colonial Boy

'Tis of a wild Colonial boy, Jack Doolan was his name,

Of poor but honest parents he was born in Castlemaine.
He was his father's only hope, his mother's only joy,
And dearly did his parents love the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS
Come, all my hearties, we'll roam the mountains high,
Together we will plunder, together we will die.
We'll wander over valleys, and gallop over plains,
And we'll scorn to live in slavery, bound down with iron chains.

He was scarcely sixteen years of age when he left his father's home,
And through Australia's sunny clime a bushranger did roam.
He robbed those wealthy squatters, their stock he did destroy,
And a terror to Australia was the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS

In sixty-one this daring youth commenced his wild career,

With a heart that knew no danger, no foeman did he fear.
He stuck up the Beechworth mail coach, and robbed Judge MacEvoy,
Who trembled, and gave up his gold to the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS

He bade the Judge "Good morning," and told him to beware,

That he'd never rob a hearty chap that acted on the square,
And never to rob a mother of her son and only joy,
Or else you may turn outlaw, like the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS

One day as he was riding the mountain side along,

A-listening to the little birds, their pleasant laughing song,
Three mounted troopers rode along⁠—Kelly, Davis, and FitzRoy.
They thought that they would capture him⁠—the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS

"Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you see there's three to one.

Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you daring highwayman."
He drew a pistol from his belt, and shook the little toy.
"I'll fight, but not surrender," said the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS
He fired at Trooper Kelly, and brought him to the ground,
And in return from Davis received a mortal wound.
All shattered through the jaws he lay still firing at FitzRoy,
And that's the way they captured him—the wild Colonial boy.

CHORUS