Come and listen for a moment, lads, and hear me tell my tale,

How across the sea from England I was condemned to sail.

Now, the jury found me guilty, then says the judge, says he,

"Oh, for life, Jim Jones, I'm sending you across the stormy sea,

But take a trip¹ before you ship to join the iron gang:

Don't get too gay in Botany Bay or else you'll surely hang."

"Or else you'll surely hang," says he, "And after that, Jim Jones,

It's high above on the gallows tree the crows will pick your bones."

And our ship was high upon the sea when pirates came along,

But the soldiers on our convict ship were full five hundred strong

For they opened fire and somehow drove that pirate ship away,

But I'd rather have joined that pirate ship than gone to Botany Bay.

With the storms raging 'round us and the winds a-blowing gales,

I'd rather have drowned in misery than gone to New South Wales.

"There's no time for mischief there," they say. "Remember that," says they,

"Oh, they'll flog the poaching outta you down there in Botany Bay."

Now, it's day and night the irons clang and, like poor galley slaves,

Oh, we toil and toil and, when we die, must fill dishonored graves.

Well, it's by and by I'll slip my chains, into the bush I'll go

And I'll join the bravest rankers there, Jack Donohue and Co.²,

And some dark night when everything is silent in the town

I'll shoot those tyrants one and all, I'll gun the floggers down.

Oh, I'll give the land a little shock, remember what I say,

And they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay.

¹ In the context of this line and what follows, the logical transcription would be "tip". And, indeed, that's how this word is transcribed by other sources. However, what Dylan says sounds more like "trip". Perhaps it is a slip of the tongue.

² As in "Jack Donohue and company".