Shores of Botany Bay - The Irish Rovers

Well, I’m on my way down to the quay

Where the good ship Nell doth lay

To command a gang of navvies

I was ordered to engage

I thought I would stop in for a while

Before I sailed away

For to take a trip on an immigrant ship

To the shores of Botany Bay

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’s 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

Though pensions keep our jobs secure

I shan’t rue the day

When I take a trip on an immigrant ship

To the shores of Botany Bay

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’s lying at the quay

For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back

To the shores of Botany Bay

Well, the boss comes up this morning

And he says, «Why, Pat, hello

If you do not mix the mortar quick

To be sure you’ll have to go»

Well, of course he did insult me

I demanded all me 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 gang planks

And to Hell with your overtime

For the good ship Ragamuffin

She’s lying at the quay

For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back

To the shores of Botany Bay

When I reach Australia

I’ll go and search for gold

There’s plenty there for digging up

Or so I have been told

Or maybe I’ll go back to me trade

Eight hundred bricks I’ll lay

For an eight hour shift and an eight bob pay

On the shores of Botany Bay

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’s lying at the quay

For to take old Pat with a shovel on his back

To the shores of Botany Bay

The shores of Botany Bay!