The Band is:
Patrick Devlin - Guitar and vocals
Chad Smalley - Bass and vocals
Michael McAloon - Drums
Botany Bay
Blaggards Lyrics
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Farewell to your gangers and gang planks, to hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin is lying at the quay
To take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay.
I'm on my way down to the quay where the ship at anchor lays
To command a gang of navvys that they told me to engage
For to take a trip on an emigrant ship to the shores of Botany Bay
Farewell to your bricks and mortar, farewell to your dirty lies
Farewell to your gangers and gang planks, to hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin is lying at the quay
To take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay.
The boss came up this morning, he says "well Pat you know
If you don't get your navvys out I'm afraid you have to go"
So I asked him for me wages and demanded all my pay
For I told him straight, I'm going to emigrate to the shores of Botany Bay
Farewell to your bricks and mortar, farewell to your dirty lies
Farewell to your gangers and gang planks, to hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin is lying at the quay
To take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay.
And when I reach Australia I'll go and look for gold
There's plenty there for the digging of, or so I have been told
Or else I'll go back to my trade and a hundred bricks I'll lay
Because I live for an eight hour shift on the shores of Botany Bay
The song "Botany Bay" by Blaggards tells the story of a man named Pat who is leaving his home to go work in Australia. He bids farewell to "bricks and mortar" (his home), "dirty lies" (possibly referring to the struggles he has faced in his homeland), and "gangers and gang planks" (his previous work environment). Pat is going to be working as a navvy, which is a laborer who works on tasks such as excavations, road constructions, and other laborious tasks. He takes the good ship Ragamuffin to the shores of Botany Bay with a shovel on his back. He plans to make a new life in Australia and perhaps try his luck at finding gold.
The song portrays the struggles and hardships Pat has faced in his homeland, which is why he decides to leave to try his luck elsewhere. He puts his faith in a new country and a new opportunity, hoping for a better future. This song gives insight into the difficulties that people faced during the 19th century, where they had to leave their homes and travel long distances to work and support their families. It portrays the hopes and dreams of people like Pat, who hoped for a better life and fortune in a new land.
Line by Line Meaning
Arewell to your bricks and mortar, farewell to your dirty lies
Goodbye to your physical building and false promises
Farewell to your gangers and gang planks, to hell with your overtime
Goodbye to the supervisors and long working hours
For the good ship Ragamuffin is lying at the quay
A ship named Ragamuffin is docked at the port
To take oul Pat with a shovel on his back
To transport a man named Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay.
To the coast of Botany Bay
I'm on my way down to the quay where the ship at anchor lays
I'm heading towards the dock where the ship is anchored
To command a gang of navvys that they told me to engage
To lead a group of laborers who I was instructed to hire
I thought I'd drop in for a drink before I went away
I decided to have a drink before leaving for my journey
For to take a trip on an emigrant ship to the shores of Botany Bay
To embark on an immigrant ship to reach the coast of Botany Bay
The boss came up this morning, he says "well Pat you know
My employer came to me this morning and said
If you don't get your navvys out I'm afraid you have to go"
If you don't remove your workers, you'll be fired
So I asked him for me wages and demanded all my pay
So I requested my payment in full
For I told him straight, I'm going to emigrate to the shores of Botany Bay
Because I said outright, I'm immigrating to the coast of Botany Bay
And when I reach Australia I'll go and look for gold
Once I arrive in Australia, I'll search for gold
There's plenty there for the digging of, or so I have been told
I've heard that there is a lot of gold to be mined
Or else I'll go back to my trade and a hundred bricks I'll lay
Otherwise, I'll return to my job of laying one hundred bricks
Because I live for an eight hour shift on the shores of Botany Bay
Because I prefer an eight-hour workday on the coast of Botany Bay
Contributed by Adalyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.