Oh I'm on my way down to the quay Where a big ship now does lie For to take a gang of navvies I was told to engage But I thought I would call in for a while Before I went away For to take a trip in an emigrant ship To the shores of Botany Bay
Chorus: Farewell to your bricks and mortar Farewell to your dirty lies 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 Our pensions keep our lives secure But I'll not rue the day When I take a trip on an emigrant ship To the shores of Botany Bay
For the boss came up this morning And he said \"Well Pat hello If you do not mix that mortar fast Be sure you'll have to go\" Of course he did insult me I demanded of my 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 look for gold Sure there's plenty there for the digging Or so I have been told Or I might go back into my trade Eight hundred bricks I'll lay In an eight hour day for eight bob pay On the shores of Botany Bay