Botany Bay
The Skullduggers Lyrics
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Farewell to your dirty lime
Farewell to your gangway and your gang plank
To hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin
Is lying at the quay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
I′m on my way down to the quay
Where the big ship at anchor lays
To command a gang of navvys
I was told to engage
I thought I'd drop in for a drink
Before I went away
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 lime
Farewell to your gangway and your gang plank
To hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin
Is lying at the quay
For to take old 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 didn′t get your navvys out
I'm afraid you'll have to go"
So I asked him for my wages
I demanded all my pay
And I told him straight I was going to emigrate
To the shores of Botany Bay
Farewell to your bricks and mortar
Farewell to your dirty lime
Farewell to your gangway and your gang plank
To hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin
Is lying at the quay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
And when I reach Australia
I′ll go and I′ll look for gold
There's plenty there for digging up
Or so I have been told
Or else I′ll go back to my trade
Eight hundred bricks I'll lay
And eight bob I′ll lift for an eight-hour shift
On the shores of Botany Bay
Farewell to your bricks and mortar
Farewell to your dirty lime
Farewell to your gangway and your gang plank
To hell with your overtime
For the good ship Ragamuffin
Is lying at the quay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To the shores of Botany Bay
Botany Bay is a traditional Australian folk song that was also popular with Irish and British sailors during the mid-19th century. The song was about the life of Irish convicts who had been exiled to Australia, particularly those who were transported there as punishment. The lyrics depict the farewell of a group of Irish workers to their homeland as they leave for Botany Bay, Australia, as well as their hopes and dreams for a new life once they arrive there.
The first verse sees the singer bidding farewell to their hometown and work environment. They are leaving behind their livelihood and the people they know to start afresh in a new land. In the second verse, the singer is going to meet the ship that will take them to Botany Bay, where they'll work as navvies. Before they embark, they take a moment to enjoy a drink at a nearby pub. The third verse details how the singer was threatened with the loss of their job if they didn't get their workers to the docks on time. Instead, the singer decides to emigrate to Australia. The final verse expresses the singer's hope for a better life in Australia – either through searching for gold or through hard work as a bricklayer.
Line by Line Meaning
Farewell to your bricks and mortar
Goodbye to the physical structures of this place
Farewell to your dirty lime
Goodbye to the construction materials and their state of cleanliness
Farewell to your gangway and your gang plank
Goodbye to the boarding areas of this location
To hell with your overtime
I don't care for working beyond my regular hours here
For the good ship Ragamuffin
This particular ship is of good quality, named Ragamuffin
Is lying at the quay
Docked and waiting here at the harbor
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
I, old Pat, am going to board Ragamuffin with my shovel
To the shores of Botany Bay
My destination is Botany Bay, located on the shores of Australia
I'm on my way down to the quay
I'm currently journeying towards the harbor
Where the big ship at anchor lays
Where the large ship is docked and waiting
To command a gang of navvys
I've been put in charge of a group of workers
I was told to engage
It was instructed of me to hire them for the job
I thought I'd drop in for a drink
I decided to stop in for an alcoholic beverage before continuing on my way
Before I went away
Prior to departing for my trip
The boss came up this morning
My employer arrived earlier today
He says 'Well, Pat you know
He addressed me by name and began speaking
If you didn't get your navvys out
If you don't send out the workers you're in charge of
I'm afraid you'll have to go'
I'm sorry to say, but you will lose your job
So I asked him for my wages
I requested payment for my work
I demanded all my pay
I demanded to receive my full payment
And I told him straight
I spoke my mind boldly
I was going to emigrate
I stated my intention to leave and move to a new country
And when I reach Australia
Once I arrive in Australia
I'll go and I'll look for gold
I plan to search for gold there
There's plenty there for digging up
I've heard there are ample amounts of gold to be found
Or so I have been told
This is just what I've heard from others
Or else I'll go back to my trade
If I don't have luck with gold, I'll return to my previous profession
Eight hundred bricks I'll lay
I'll lay 800 bricks for a living
And eight bob I'll lift for an eight-hour shift
And I'll earn 8 shillings for working an 8 hour shift
On the shores of Botany Bay
In the vicinity of Botany Bay
For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back
To bring me, old Pat, along with my shovel
To the shores of Botany Bay
To the coastlines of Botany Bay in Australia
Contributed by Liam M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lowkei
on The Balena
[Verse 1]
A noble fleet of whalers
went sailing from Dundee,
While manned by British sailors
to work out on the sea.
From the western ocean passage
none with them can compare,
To the bravest ship to make
the trip is Balena, I declare!
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
[Verse 2]
It happened on a Tuesday
3 days out of Dundee,
When a gale took out a quarter-boat
and a couple of men, you see (couple of men, you see)
It battered out a bullwark,
her stampchains and her rails
And left the old Balena, boys,
a-floating in the gales.
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter,
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
[Verse 3]
Old Jack-man cut his canvas
and nearly raised his steam,
Captain Jack with Aaron-boy
came plowing through the stream,
The noble Terra Nova, her quarters nearly burst
and still there at the whaling grounds,
Balena got there first!
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter,
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
(musical interlude)
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter,
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
[Verse 4]
Well, now our season's over
our ship's half full of oil,
we point the jib-boom t'wards our home
and to our native soil.
And then when we have landed
and the rum is flowing cheap,
We'll drink success to the skipper's health
for getting us o'er the deep!
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter,
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
[Chorus]
Oh, the wind is on a quarter,
engine working free;
There's not another whaler
that sails out of Dundee
Can beat the old Balena
she needs no trial run
And she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!
[Outro]
and she challenged all,
both great and small,
from Dundee to St. John!