e: Wed, 11 Mar 1998 09:00:41 +1000
From: Kevin Woodgate
Subject: m/misc_traditional/moreton_bay.tab
Moreton Bay Frank McNamara/Australian Folk Song
Transcribed by K Woodgate
Easy melody Version
The song can be found on records by the Bushwackers, Cobbers, William Clauson
and many other Australian Folk records.
e|—————-|————|—————-|—————|————
B|—————-|——-1-0—|——1———-|—————|————
G|—————-|—-0——-|-2——-2—0—|—————|————
D|—————-|-3———-|—————-|-2——0—2-|-0———-
A|-3—3——-3—|————|—————-|——3———|———3—0
E|———3——-|————|—————-|—————|————
1 One Sun-day morn-ing as I was walk-ing By Bris-bane wa-ters I Chanced to
Stray
2 ‘I’ve been a con-vict at Port Mac-qua-rie At Nor-folk Is-land and Em-U
Plains
3 For three long years I was beastly treated And heavy irons on my leg I wore
4 Like the Egyptians and ancient Hebrews We were oppressed under Logan’s yoke
e|—————-|————|—————-|—————|————
B|—————-|——-1-0—|——1———-|—————|————
G|—————-|—-0——-|-2——-2—0—|—————|————
D|—————-|-3———-|—————-|———0—2-|-0———-
A|-3—3——-3—|————|—————-|-3—3———|———3—3
E|———3——-|————|—————-|—————|————
1 I heard a con-vict his fate be-wail-ing As on the sun-ny ri-ver bank he lay
2 At cas-tle hill and cur-sed toon-gab-bie At all those sett-le-ments I’ve
worked in chains
3 My back with floggings was lacerated, And often painted with crimson gore
4 Till a native black lying there in ambush Did deal our tyrant his mortal
stroke
e|———-|—————|——————|—————|—————
B|———-|—-0—1—0—|—1—————|—————|—————
G|—0—0—|-2————|-2——2—-0—-|—————|—————
D|-2—2—-|—————|——————|-2——0—-2|-0————
A|———-|—————|——————|—-3———|—-3—-0—-
E|———-|—————|——————|—————|—————
1 I am a nat-ive of Er-in’s is-land Trans-port- ed now from my na-tive shore
2 But of all pla-ces of con-dem-na-tion And pen-al sta-tions of New South
Wales
3 And many a man from downright starvation Lies mouldering now beneath the
clay
4 My fellow prisoners, be exhilarated That all such monsters such a death
may find
e|—————-|————|—————-|—————|————
B|—————-|——-1-0—|——1———-|—————|————
G|—————-|—-0——-|-2——-2—0—|—————|————
D|—————-|-3———-|—————-|———0—2-|-0———-
A|-3—3——-3—|————|—————-|-3—3———|———3—3
E|———3——-|————|—————-|—————|————
1 They tore me from my a-ged pa-rents And from the maid-en that I do a-dore
2 To Moreton Bay I have found no equal: Excess-ive Ty-rann-ny each day
pre-vails
3 And Captain Logan he had us mangled At the triangles of Moreton Bay
4 And when from bondage we are liberated, Our former sufferings shall fade
from mind