[Verse 1]
Am C
In eighteen-o-three we sailed out to sea
G D Am
Out from the sweet town of Derry
Am C
For Australia bound, if we didn't all drown
G D Am
The marks of our fetters we carried
D C
In our rusty iron chains we cried for our weans
D Em
Our good women we left in sorrow
Am C
As the main sails unfurled, our curses we hurled
G D Am
On the English and thoughts of tomorrow
[Verse 2]
Am C
At the mouth of the Foyle, bade farewell to the soil
G D Am
As down below decks we were lying
Am C
O'Doherty screamed, woken out of a dream
G D Am
By a vision of bold Robert dying
D C
The sun burnt cruel as we dished out the gruel
D Em
Dan O'Conner was down with a fever
Am C
Sixty rebels today, bound for Botany Bay
G D Am
How many will reach their receiver
[Chorus]
C G Am G Am
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
C G Am G Am
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
[Verse 3]
(same as verse 1)
I cursed them to hell as our bow fought the swell
Our ship danced like a moth in the firelight
White horses rode high as the devil passed by
Taking souls to Hades by twilight
Five weeks out to sea, we were now forty-three
We buried our comrades each morning
In our own slime we were lost in the time
Endless night without dawning
[Chorus]
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
[Verse 4]
(same as verse 1)
Van Diemen's Land is a hell for a man
To end out his whole life in slavery
Where the climate is raw and a gun makes the law
Neither wind nor rain care for bravery
Twenty years have gone by, I have ended my bond
My comrades' ghosts walk beside me
A rebel I came, I'm still the same
On the cold winds of night you will find me
[Chorus]
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
Oh oh oh oh oh I wish I was back home in Derry
