The morning is upon me
And I will soon be gone
To seek another destiny
In the land beyond the dawn.
Far far away my soul will be
Down in Van Dieman’s land
I could not feed my family
Out here near Banna Strand
Our crops they vanished one by one
The cattle are no more
We could not even pay our rent
So our landlord showed us the door.
We had nowhere to go to
Nor family nor friend.
So I stole some bread to feed them
And was sent to Van Dieman’s land
My country it is proud I know
And the hills they run with blood
From those who fought in ninetyeight
May they rest in peace with God.
But now I must depart from here
My ship lies at the quay
Her name is Duke of Wellington
And she sails to Botany Bay