Irish Folksongs Botany Bay Lyrics

Botany Bay Lyrics

Oh I'm on my way down to the quay

Where a big ship now does lie

For
to take a gang of navvies

I was told to engage

But I thought I
would call in for a while

Before I went away

For to take a trip in
an emigrant ship

To the shores of Botany Bay



Chorus:

Farewell to your bricks and mortar

Farewell to your dirty lime

Farewell to your gangway and gang planks

And to hell with your
overtime

For the good ship Ragamuffin

She is lying at the quay

For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back

To the shores of Botany
Bay



The best years of our life we spend

At working on the
docks

Building mighty wharves and quays

Of earth and ballast
rocks

Our pensions keep our lives secure

But I'll not rue the
day

When I take a trip on an emigrant ship

To the shores of Botany
Bay



For the boss came up this morning

And he said "Well Pat
hello

If you do not mix that mortar fast

Be sure you'll have to
go"

Of course he did insult me

I demanded of my pay

And I
told him straight I was going to emigrate

To the shores of Botany Bay



And when I reach Australia

I'll go and look for gold

Sure
there's plenty there for the digging

Or so I have been told

Or I
might go back into my trade

Eight hundred bricks I'll lay

In an
eight hour day for eight bob pay

On the shores of Botany Bay