His [G]hair was red, his eyes were blue, his [D]age was eighteen [Em]years[C]
And [G]as they sailed a[C]round Cape
Horn his [G]eyes filled [C]up with [D]tears
For he [G]knew he’d never see his home or [D]native land a[Em]gain[C]
And
the [G]captain said Jack [C]Reilly you will [D]die a convict [G]man –G-G-C
With [D]prison chains around his wrists
that [C]cut him to the [G]bone
The [D]captain said ‘Jack Reilly, son, your [C]very soul I’ll [G]own
I’ll
bend and twist it to my will - for [D]death you’ll surely [Em]pray[C]
But I’ll [G]see you live to [C]end your
days in [D]chains in Botany [G]Bay –G-G-C
With [G]quiet words Jack Reilly swore ‘The [D]day will surely [Em]come[C]
When [G]I will slip these [C]prison
chains and [G]justice [C]will be [D]done’
For [G]three long weeks he took no bred, just [D]water from the [Em]can[C]
And
[G]all his comrades a[C]round him swore he [D]was the dying [G]man –G-G-C
Un[D]til one night he slipped his chains
and [C]out of the door he [G]ran
He [D]grabbed a pistol from the guard and [C]up the deck he [G]sprang
‘My name
it is Jack Reilly and from [D]Ireland I do [Em]come[C]
And [G]neither man nor [C]master has the [D]right to tie me [G]down!’
–G-G-C
Up [G]to the captain’s door he went - no [D]fear could slow him [Em]down[C]
For [G]he would show no [C]mercy
to the [G]servant [C]of the [D]crown
The [G]captain stepped out on the deck with [D]cutlass in his [Em]hand[C]
‘Sur[G]render
or I’ll [C]run you trough and [D]drop where you [G]stand!’ –G-G-C
The [D]crew looked on in silence then
and [C]ne’er a murmur [G]made
For [D]they were tired and hungry men and [C]not a word was [G]said
Jack Reilly
raised the pistol high, the [D]captain made a [Em]frown[C]
And [G]with a single [C]pistol shot he [D]brought the captain
[G]down –G-G-C
The [G]crew they said ‘Jack Reilly, mate, we’ll [D]lower you o’er the [Em]side[C]
In[G]to the
longboat [C]you must go and [G]bid this [C]ship good[D]bye
For [G]there’s a man-o-war about - they’ll
[D]catch you if they [Em]can[C]
And [G]from the yard down, [C]Jack me boy, your [D]body they will [G]hang’ –G-G-C
And
[D]so he turned the longboat round and [C]to the rising [G]sun
Five [D]lonely days and nights he rowed till [C]he was nearly
[G]done
Then he heard the sound of breaking waves on [D]free Australian [Em]sand[C]
And [G]jumping from the [C]longboat
up on[D]to the beach he [G]swam –G-G-C
Through [G]New South Wales he made his way be[D]neath the burning [Em]sun[C]
And [G]’cross the Murray [C]River
when a [G]month was [C]barely [D]gone
T’was [G]there he met an outlaw band, he [D]told them of his [Em]plight[C]
They
[G]said ‘Brave man, Jack [C]Reilly, you will [D]ride with us to[G]night’ –G-G-C
They [D]rode like devils
through the dust a[C]cross Australian [G]plains
They [D]robbed the banks in every town, they [C]robbed the smoking [G]trains
Jack
Reilly was the best of them, he [D]rode from dusk till [Em]dawn[C]
He [G]shot the bankers [C]one by one - he [D]shot the
bankers [G]down –G-G-C
The [G]constables and troopers searched the [D]land from miles a[Em]round[C]
Yet [G]neither hide nor [C]hair
of him was [G]nowhere [C]to be [D]found
The [G]folks round here where Irish and they’d [D]answer with a [Em]grin[C]
‘You
[G]say his name’s Jack [C]Reilly? No - [D]never heard of [G]him…’ –G-G-C
For [D]six long
years he rode the bush, he [C]led the outlaw [G]band
He [D]robbed the rich men from their gold, he [C]took it from their
[G]hands
No woman’s love could hold him down though [D]many tried and [Em]failed[C]
Jack [G]Reilly was a [C]free
man now and [D]no man’s law o[G]beyed -G-G-C
The [G]time was passing quickly by and [D]Jack was slowing [Em]down[C]
One [G]day he left the [C]outlaw band for
[G]Queensland [C]he was [D]bound
He [G]spurred his ??? pony as he [D]headed for the [Em]line[C]
With the [G]constables
and [C]troopers getting [D]closer all the [G]time –G-G-C
He [D]rode through Bullawarra on a [C]cold and moonlight
[G]night
The [D]troopers closed behind him, well, they [C]found him at day[G]light
Six carbine shots rang out that dawn
that [D]took his life a[Em]way[C]
And [G]that was how Jack [C]Reilly died way [D]down in Botany [G]Bay
