‘Tis of a wild Colonial Boy, Jack Doolan was his name,
Of poor but honest parents he was born in Castlemaine.
He was his father’s only hope, his mother’s pride and joy,
And dearly did his parents love the wild Colonial Boy.
Chorus
Come, all my hearties, we’ll roam the mountains high,
Together we will plunder, together we will die.
We’ll wander over valleys, and gallop over plains,
And we’ll scorn to live in slavery, bound down with iron chains.
He was scarcely sixteen years of age when he left his father’s home,
And through Australia’s sunny clime a bushranger did roam.
He robbed those wealthy squatters, their stock he did destroy,
And a terror to Australia was the wild Colonial Boy.
In sixty-one this daring youth commenced his wild career,
With a heart that knew no danger, no foeman did he fear.
He stuck up the Beechworth mail-coach, and robbed Judge MacEvoy,
Who trembled, and gave up his gold to the wild Colonial Boy.
He bade the judge “Good morning”, and told him to beware,
That he’d never rob a hearty chap that acted on the square,
And never to rob a mother of her son and only joy,
Or else you might turn outlaw, like the wild Colonial Boy.
One day as he was riding the mountain-side along,
A-listening to the little birds, their pleasant laughing song,
Three mounted troopers rode along – Kelly, Davis and FitzRoy –
They thought that they would capture him, the wild Colonial Boy.
“Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you see there’s three to one.
Surrender now, Jack Doolan, you’re a daring highwayman.”
He drew a pistol from his belt, and shook the little toy,
“I’ll fight, but not surrender,” said the wild Colonial Boy.
He fired at Trooper Kelly and brought him to the ground,
And in return from Davis received a mortal wound.
All shattered through the jaws he lay still firing at FitzRoy,
And that’s the way they captured him – the wild Colonial Boy
(Anonymous Oceania)
More Poetry from Anonymous Oceania:
Anonymous Oceania Poems based on Topics: Home, Law & Regulation, Work & Career, Name, Fear, Joy & Excitement, Mothers, Danger & Risk, Hope, Slavery, Age- The Old Bark Hut (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
- The Kelly Gang (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
- Billy Barlow in Australia (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
- A Voice From The Bush (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
- Paddy Malone in Australia (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
- The Old Keg of Rum (Anonymous Oceania Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Joy & Excitement Poems, Name Poems, Hope Poems, Home Poems, Fear Poems, Birds Poems, Mothers Poems, Work & Career Poems, Law & Regulation Poems, Age Poems, Slavery PoemsBased on Keywords: colonial, squatters, kelly, trooper, commenced, bushranger, hearties, highwayman, fitzroy, sixty-one, a-listening