The Catalpa

First Published In Three Street Ballads In 1957
This Version Was Collected By Russel Ward From Victor Courtney A Journalist
On The Sunday Times, Perth, Western Australia, Who Commented,
"I Remember In My Early Days As A Cadet Hearing A Band Of Old Boys In A Pub In Fremantle
Singing This Song. It Is Said That The Song Became So Popular That It Was Banned By The
Authority Of The Day And Jail Was Threatened To Anyone Caught Singing It.
It Was Suggested, Too, That The Escape Was Made Easy Because There Was
Plenty Of American Gold And Some Of It Was Placed In The Hands Of Unscrupulous Warders.
The Incident Took Place In April 1876."

The Escape Of The Six Fenians From Fremantle Jail Was Funded By Collections In Australia
And The United States. Over Three Thousand Pounds Was Collected In Australia.

Several Tunes Are Associated With This Song, Including Tunes Used For 'Botany Bay' And 'The Dying Stockman'.
The Tune Given Here Is A Variant Of 'Rosin The Bow'.

Verse 1
A NGoble Whale Ship And CommandCer
CGalled The Catalpa, They SEmay
Came GOut To Western AustraliCa
And TGook Six Poor FD7enians AwGay

Chorus
So Come GAll You Screw Warders And JCailers
RemGember Perth Regatta DEmay
Take CGare Of The Rest Of Your FeniCans
Or The YGankees Will StD7eal Them AwGay

Verse 2
SGeven Long Years Had They Served HCere
And SGeven Long More Had To StEmay
For DefGending Their Country Old IrelCand
For TGhat They Were BD7anished AwGay

Verse 3
You KGept Them In Western AustraliCa
Till ThGeir Hair Began To Turn GrEmey
When A YGank From The States Of AmericCay
Came GOut Here And StD7ole Them GAway

Chorus
So Come GAll You Screw Warders And JCailers
RemGember Perth Regatta DEmay
Take CGare Of The Rest Of Your FeniCans
Or The YGankees Will StD7eal Them AwGay

Verse 4
Now GAll The Perth Boats Were A-RacCing
And MGaking Short Tacks For The SpEmot
But The YGankee She Tacked Into FremantlCe
And TGook The Best PrD7ize Of The LGot

Verse 5
The GGeorgette Armed With Bold WarriCors
Went GOut The Poor Yanks To EmArrest
But She HGoisted Her Star-Spangled BCanner
Saying YoGu'll Not BD7oard Me I GGuess

Chorus
So Come GAll You Screw Warders And JCailers
RemGember Perth Regatta DEmay
Take CGare Of The Rest Of Your FeniCans
Or The YGankees Will StD7eal Them AwGay

Verse 6
So RemGember Six Fenians ColoniCal
And SGing O'er These Few Verses With SkEmill
And RGemember The Yankee That Stole ThCem
And The HGome That They LD7eft On The HGill

Verse 7
Now They've LGanded Safe In AmericCay
And ThGey Will Be Able To CrEmy
Hoist GUp The Green Flag And ShamrCock
HurrGah For Old D7Ireland We'll DGie

Chorus
So Come GAll You Screw Warders And JCailers
RemGember Perth Regatta DEmay
Take CGare Of The Rest Of Your FeniCans
Or The YGankees Will StD7eal Them AwGay

Outro
So Come GAll You Screw Warders And JCailers
RemGember Perth Regatta DEmay
Take CGare Of The Rest Of Your FeniCans
Or The YGankees Will StD7eal Them AwGay