In 1803 we sailed out to sea Out from the sweet town of Derry For Australia bound if we didn't all drown And the marks of our fetters we carried In our rusty iron chains we sighed for our weans Our good wives we left in sorrow As the mainsails unfurled, our curses we hurled On the English, and thoughts of tomorrow Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry I cursed them to hell as our bow fought the swell Our ship danced like a moth in the firelight White horses rode high as the devil passed by Taking souls to Hades by twilight Five weeks out to sea, we were now forty-three Our comrades we buried each morning In our own slime we were lost in a time Endless night without dawning Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Van Diemen's land is hell for a man To live out his life in slavery Where the climate is raw and the gun makes the law Neither wind nor rain cares for bravery Twenty years have gone by, I've ended my bond My comrades ghosts walk behind me A rebel I came - And I'll die the same On the cold winds of night you will find me Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry Oh... I wish I was back home in Derry