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
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
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
The boss comes up this morning and he says, "Well, 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
And when I reach Australia I'll go and search for gold
There's plenty there for the digging up, or so I have been told
Or maybe I'll go back to my trade eight hundred bricks I'll lay
for an eight hour shift and an eight bob pay on the shores of Botany Bay
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
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
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
The boss comes up this morning and he says, "Well, 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
And when I reach Australia I'll go and search for gold
There's plenty there for the digging up, or so I have been told
Or maybe I'll go back to my trade eight hundred bricks I'll lay
for an eight hour shift and an eight bob pay on the shores of Botany Bay
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