In 1803 we sailed out to sea
Out from the sweet town of Derry
For Australia bound if we didn't all drown
And the marks of our fetters we carried
In the rusty iron chains we cried for our wains
Our good women we left in sorrow
As the mainsails unfurled our curses we hurled
On the English and thoughts of tomorrow
At the mouth of the Foyle bade farewell to the soil as down below decks we were lyin'
O'Doherty screamed woken out of a dream by a vision of bold Robert dyin'.
The sun burnt cruel as we dished out the gruel, Dan O'Connor was down with a fever.
Sixty rebels today bound for Botany Bay, how many will reach their receiver?
I wish I was back home in Derry
I wish I was back home in Derry
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
I wish I was back home in Derry
I wish I was back home in Derry
Van Dieman's land is a hell for a man
To live out his whole life in slavery
Where the climate is raw and the gun makes the law
Neither wind nor rain cares for bravery
Twenty years have gone by and I've ended my bond
My comrades' ghosts walk behind me
A rebel I came, I'm still the same
On the cold winds of night you will find me
I wish I was back home in Derry
I wish I was back home in Derry
I wish I was back home in Derry
I wish I was back home in Derry