Irish traditional song lyrics — collected by Beer Belly Band.
There was a wild colonial boy Jack Doolin was his name
Of poor but honest parents he was born near Castlemane
He was his father’s only son his mother’s pride and joy
And dearly did his parents love their wild colonial boy
At the early of sixteen years he left his native home
And round Australia’s sunny shores a bushranger did roam
He robbed the wealthy squatters their stock he did destroy
A terror to Australia was the wild colonial boy
Chorus:
So come along me hearty’s we’ll roam the mountains high
Together we will plunder and together we will die
We’ll wander over valleys and gallop over plains
And scorn to live in slavery bound down in iron chains
In ’61 this daring youth commenced his wild career
With a heart that knew no danger, no foeman did he fear
He held up the Beechwood mail coach and robbed judge McEvoy
Who trembling told give up his gold to the wild colonial boy
Well he bade the judge good morning and told him to beware
He never robbed an honest who acted on the square
But a man who’d robbed his mother of her son and only joy
He could expect no mercy from the wild colonial boy
Chorus
One day as he was riding the mountainside along
Listening to the kookaburra’s pleasant laughing song
He spied three mounted troopers Kelly, Davis and Fitzroy
With a warrant for the capture of the wild colonial boy
Surrender now Jack Doolin you see we’re three to one
Surrender in the King’s high name you are a highwayman
Jack drew a pistol from his belt and waved it like a toy
I’ll fight but not surrender cried the wild colonial boy
Chorus
He fired at trooper Kelly that brought him to the ground
And in return from Davis he received his fatal wound
All shattered through the jaw he lay still firing at Fitzroy
And that’s the way they captured him the wild colonial boy
Chorus