Molly

I took a rich man’s wallet So that we would not starve I’m sure the lord has forgiven me But the judge he surely did not. He spared me from the gallows But sent me across the sea Away from family and friends And away from you sweet Molly I could see you standing on the dock in the rain As the ship lurched out in the mist And I wondered sweet Molly would I ever again Hear your laughter or feel your sweet kiss. Well terrible fortune befell us On that awful disease ridden ship And brutes were the crew and the guards Who beat us with fists and with whip. And the wind howled and the seas rose And many were washed overboard And illness, storms and starvation Were sent upon us by the lord And gradually everyone perished But somehow I seemed to survive Until somehow I made it to Botany Bay The only soul left alive. I joined a prison gang Molly And hard to work we went They gave me a chisel and barrow And told me to go and carve steps From a mountain made out of rock On a path that led to nowhere. No food or drink did they give us I feel that they wished we would die Well their wish came true sweet Molly As the men started dropping like flies. The sun burned my face and my arms As I hammered away at the stone And when the rains finally came They soaked us through to our bones Then a flash flood swept the others away And left me there all on my own. Well my life was hard to be sure But again I seemed to survive And I finally made it back to the camp The only soul left alive. They all were surprised to see me They clapped my back and shook my hand They said we must throw a party For the luckiest man in the land Well a grand party it was Under a night of starry skies The officers all were so drunk That they started dropping like flies And in the morning the soldiers found me grinning Twenty dead officers, two blood stained knives. Holy Christ said the men as they clapped me in irons He’s the only soul left alive! So now I finally face the gallows Molly And there are no more lies left for me What I couldn’t eat of the men on the ship I threw the remains to the sea What I couldn’t eat of the men on the mountain I buried among the trees The drunken officers deserved all they got So Molly my conscience is clear. My only regret dear Molly The only thing that causes me pain Is knowing that I shall never See your sweet face again.