Listen for a moment lads And hear me tell my tale How over the sea from England shore I was condemned to sail The jury found me guilty sir And said the judge, said he "For life, Jim Jones, I sentence you Across the stormy sea But take my tip before you ship To join the iron gang Don't be too gay in Botany Bay Or else you'll surely hang Or else you'll surely hang," says he "And after that, Jim Jones High upon the gallows tree The crows will pick your bones" And our ship was high upon the sea When pirates came along But the soldiers on our convict ship Were full five hundred strong They opened fire and somehow drove That pirate ship away But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship Than gone to Botany Bay With the storms ragin' round us
And the winds a-blowin' gale I'd rather have drowned in misery Than gone to New South Wales There's no time for mischief there they say Remember that, says they Or they'll flog the poaching out of you Down there in Botany Bay Now it's day and night and the irons clang And like poor galley slaves We toil and toil, and when we die Must fill dishonored graves And it's by and by I'll slip my chains Into the bush I'll go And I'll join the bravest rankers there Jack Donohue and co And some dark night, when everything Is silent in the town I'll shoot those tyrants one and all I'll gun the flogger down Oh, I'll give the land a little shock Remember what I say And they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones In chains to Botany Bay