I don't know where I got the words I found as reported above - I suspect I googled "Van Diemen's land"

Anyway, I have now compared carefully with YT and MacColl recordings and can report as follows: -


HENRY THE POACHER YT VERSION
Capital letters/ Square brackets indicate where differing from nearest version above.

Come all you wild and wicked youths, WHERESOEVER you may be
I HOPE you'll PAY attention and listen unto me,
The fate of POOR LOST CONVICTS as you shall understand
AND the hardships THEY do undergo upon Van Diemen's Land.

My parents reared me tenderly, good learning THEY GIVE to me,
Till ALL MY BAD COMPANIONS BEGUILED MY HOME FROM ME,
I was brought up in WORCESTERSHIRE, near TO THE town did dwell,
My name is Henry ABBOT AND MANY KNOWS ME WELL

Me and FOUR more went out one night TO Squire DANIEL'S FARM,
FOR to [] get some game WERE OUR INTENT AS the night COME FALLING DOWN;
But to our SAD misfortune they TOOK us THERE with speed,
THEY sent us off to Warwick gaol which made our hearts to bleed.

It was at the March Assizes AT the bar we did APPEAR,
Like Job we stood with patience FOR to hear our sentence there;
AND being some old offenders, IT made our case go hard,
OUR sentence WERE for fourteen years, AND WE WERE sent on board.

The ship that bore us from the land, the Speedwell was her name
AND for [] FOUR month [] and A HALF, ME boys, we ploughed the raging main;
NO land nor harbour could I see; believe ME it is no lie.
All around us one black water; AND above us one blue sky.

I OFT-TIMES LOOKED BEHIND ME TOWARDS MY NATIVE SHORE
AND THE COTTAGE OF CONTENTMENT THAT I WILL SEE NO MORE
LIKEWISE MY AGED FATHER WHO TAUGHT US ALL HE HAD
ALSO MY TENDER MOTHER WHOSE ARMS ONCE DID ME BEAR

IT WAS ON the FOURTEENTH of JULY, THE DAY we made the land.
At four o'clock we went on shore all chained hand in hand.
AND To see our fellow sufferers I FEAR I can't tell how;
Some WERE CHAINED unto a harrow, and SOME UNTO a plough.

[]
AND then THEY marched US INTO THE town, without no more delay,
AND WAS THERE a gentleman he TOOK me, A bookkeeper FOR to be.
I took TO MY occupation THERE, NOW my master LIKES me well.
My joys ARE out of measure, [] I'm sure no one can tell.

HE KEPT a female servant, Rosanna was her name,
For fourteen year a convict [], from WORCESTERSHIRE SHE came.
We OFT-TIMES TELL our LOVE tales THERE WHERE we ARE SO FAR FROM home,
But now we're A-rattling of our chains in [] foreign lands to roam.




HENRY THE POACHER MacColl VERSION
Capital letters/ Square brackets indicate where differing from YT version above

NOW come all you wild and wicked youths, wheresoever you may be
I PRAY NOW pay attention and listen unto me,
The fate ALL of poor TRANSPORTS as you shall understand
[] The hardships they do undergo upon Van Diemen's Land.

My parents reared me tenderly, good learning they give to me,
Till all my bad companions beguiled my home from me,
I was brought up in Worcestershire, near to the town did dwell,
My name is Henry Abbot and many knows me well

Me and THREE more went out one night to Squire Daniel's farm,
[] To get some game WAS our intent as the night come falling down;
But to our sad misfortune they took us there with speed,
They sent us off to Warwick gaol which made our hearts to bleed.

It was at the March assizes at the bar we did appear,
Like Job we stood with patience [] to hear our sentence there;
And being some old offenders, it made our case go hard,
Our sentence were for fourteen years, and we were sent on board.

The ship that bore us from the land, the Speedwell was her name
And FULL four months and a half [] we ploughed ACROSS the raging main;
No land nor harbour could WE see; believe me it is no lie.
All around us one black water; and above us one blue sky.

I oft-times looked behind me towards my native shore
And THAT cottage of contentment that I SHALL see no more
Likewise my aged father who taught us all he had
Also my tender mother whose arms once did me bear

It was on the FOURTH of July, the day we made the land.
At four o'clock we went on shore all chained hand in hand.
And To see our fellow sufferers I FEEL I can't tell how;
Some [] chained unto a harrow, and some unto a plough.

SO WE WERE marched [] into the town, without no more delay,
And [] there a gentleman [] took me, a bookkeeper for to be.
I took [] my occupation [], [] my master likes me well.
My joys are out of measure, I'm sure no one can tell.

He kept a female servant, Rosanna was her name,
For fourteen years a convict, from Worcestershire she came.
We oft-times tell our love tales there where we are so far from home,
FOR now we're []rattling of our chains in foreign lands to roam