Jim Jones in Botany Bay
Martin Carthy Lyrics


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Oh come listen for a moment lads and hear me tell my tale:
How o'er the seas from England I was condemned to sail.
The jury found me guilty And says the judge, says he:
"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you across the raging sea.

And take my tip before you ship to join the iron gang:
Don't get too gay on Botany Bay or else you'll surely hang.
Or else you'll hang," he says, says he, "And after that Jim Jones,
It is high upon the gallows tree The crows will pick your bones.

You'll have no chance for mischief there, remember what I say:
They'll flog the poaching out of you out there on Botany Bay."
Let the wind fly in torrents and the wind blow up in gales:
Oh I'd rather die in misery than go to New South Wales

Well, the sea it flew in torrents and the pirates came along;
But the soldiers all on board our ship, they were full five hundred strong.
They opened fire and soon they drove that pirate ship away
Oh I'd rather have gone on a pirate ship than gone to Botany Bay.

Where day and night the irons clang and like poor galley slaves
We toil and toil and when we die we fill dishonoured graves.
But by and by I'll break my chains and into the bush I'll go;
And I'll join the brave bushrangers there, Jack Donahue and Co.

And one dark night when everything is silent in the town
I'll kill the tyrants one by one and I'll shoot the floggers down.




I'll give the law one little shock; remember what I say:
Oh they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay.

Overall Meaning

The song "Jim Jones in Botany Bay" is a traditional folk ballad that recounts the story of a man named Jim Jones who was convicted of a crime in England and sent to Australia as a convict in the 19th century. The song starts with Jones telling his story of how he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison by the judge. The judge warns Jones not to get into trouble while on the way to Botany Bay or else he would be hanged.


Jones then begins to describe the harsh conditions on the ship that he sailed on to Australia. He talks about how he would rather die than go to New South Wales. Upon arrival, Jones is forced to work in the iron gang and is warned that the authorities will flog the "poaching" or rebellious spirit out of him. He dreams of escaping into the bush and joining the legendary bushrangers and getting revenge on his captors one by one.


The lyrics of the song describe the brutal nature of convict transportation to Australia and the harsh conditions that those who were sent there had to endure. The mention of pirates and soldiers illustrates the dangers of the long and treacherous voyage to Australia. Jones' hope of joining the bushrangers highlights the desperation and desire for freedom that many convicts felt.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh come listen for a moment lads and hear me tell my tale:
Listen to my story, dear audience.


How o'er the seas from England I was condemned to sail.
I was sentenced to sail from England over the seas.


The jury found me guilty And says the judge, says he:
The jury found me guilty, the judge even said,


"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you across the raging sea.
"Jim Jones, you're going across the sea, and I'm sending you for life."


And take my tip before you ship to join the iron gang:
Listen to my advice before you go to the iron gang:


Don't get too gay on Botany Bay or else you'll surely hang.
Don't be too rebellious on Botany Bay, or else you'll be hanged.


Or else you'll hang," he says, says he, "And after that Jim Jones,
He repeats, "You'll hang, Jim Jones, and then afterwards,"


It is high upon the gallows tree The crows will pick your bones.
You'll hang on the gallows tree, and the crows will feed on your corpse.


You'll have no chance for mischief there, remember what I say:
You won't have the opportunity for mischief there, remember my words:


They'll flog the poaching out of you out there on Botany Bay.
They'll whip the desire to poach out of you on Botany Bay.


Let the wind fly in torrents and the wind blow up in gales:
Let the wind blow heavily and strongly:


Oh I'd rather die in misery than go to New South Wales
I would rather die than go to New South Wales and suffer.


Well, the sea it flew in torrents and the pirates came along;
The sea was tumultuous, and the pirates arrived;


But the soldiers all on board our ship, they were full five hundred strong.
However, there were five hundred strong soldiers on board.


They opened fire and soon they drove that pirate ship away
They attacked and repelled the pirate ship.


Oh I'd rather have gone on a pirate ship than gone to Botany Bay.
I would have preferred to go on a pirate ship instead of going to Botany Bay.


Where day and night the irons clang and like poor galley slaves
Day and night, the irons clang, and we are like poor galley slaves.


We toil and toil and when we die we fill dishonoured graves.
We toil and toil, and when we die, we are buried in dishonor.


But by and by I'll break my chains and into the bush I'll go;
But eventually, I'll break free and run into the bush.


And I'll join the brave bushrangers there, Jack Donahue and Co.
I'll join the brave bushrangers there, including Jack Donahue and others.


And one dark night when everything is silent in the town
On a dark, silent night in the town


I'll kill the tyrants one by one and I'll shoot the floggers down.
I'll assassinate the tyrants one by one, and I'll shoot the floggers.


I'll give the law one little shock; remember what I say:
I'll give the law a small shock. Remember my words:


Oh they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay.
They'll eventually regret chaining Jim Jones and sending him to Botany Bay.




Contributed by Kylie V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Daniel


on Lovely Joan

Hello ! The lyrics here art alle wrong. An' it's got tae be a frog-eater a-tellin' thee....

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