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 NEoble Whale Ship And CommandAer
CEalled The Catalpa, They SC#may
Came EOut To Western AustraliAa
And TEook Six Poor FB7enians AwEay

Chorus
So Come EAll You Screw Warders And JAailers
RemEember Perth Regatta DC#may
Take CEare Of The Rest Of Your FeniAans
Or The YEankees Will StB7eal Them AwEay

Verse 2
SEeven Long Years Had They Served HAere
And SEeven Long More Had To StC#may
For DefEending Their Country Old IrelAand
For TEhat They Were BB7anished AwEay

Verse 3
You KEept Them In Western AustraliAa
Till ThEeir Hair Began To Turn GrC#mey
When A YEank From The States Of AmericAay
Came EOut Here And StB7ole Them EAway

Chorus
So Come EAll You Screw Warders And JAailers
RemEember Perth Regatta DC#may
Take CEare Of The Rest Of Your FeniAans
Or The YEankees Will StB7eal Them AwEay

Verse 4
Now EAll The Perth Boats Were A-RacAing
And MEaking Short Tacks For The SpC#mot
But The YEankee She Tacked Into FremantlAe
And TEook The Best PrB7ize Of The LEot

Verse 5
The GEeorgette Armed With Bold WarriAors
Went EOut The Poor Yanks To C#mArrest
But She HEoisted Her Star-Spangled BAanner
Saying YoEu'll Not BB7oard Me I GEuess

Chorus
So Come EAll You Screw Warders And JAailers
RemEember Perth Regatta DC#may
Take CEare Of The Rest Of Your FeniAans
Or The YEankees Will StB7eal Them AwEay

Verse 6
So RemEember Six Fenians ColoniAal
And SEing O'er These Few Verses With SkC#mill
And REemember The Yankee That Stole ThAem
And The HEome That They LB7eft On The HEill

Verse 7
Now They've LEanded Safe In AmericAay
And ThEey Will Be Able To CrC#my
Hoist EUp The Green Flag And ShamrAock
HurrEah For Old B7Ireland We'll DEie

Chorus
So Come EAll You Screw Warders And JAailers
RemEember Perth Regatta DC#may
Take CEare Of The Rest Of Your FeniAans
Or The YEankees Will StB7eal Them AwEay

Outro
So Come EAll You Screw Warders And JAailers
RemEember Perth Regatta DC#may
Take CEare Of The Rest Of Your FeniAans
Or The YEankees Will StB7eal Them AwEay