Our Jack’s Come Home Today (Victorian version) This version was collected by Joy Durst and Ron Edwards, in August 1956, from Mr. R. Ure, of Gembrook, Victoria, who learned it late last century. He was unaware of the the 1889 Queensland version.

Our Jack’s come out of quod today,
To Pentridge he has been:
For many a day he’s been away,
His face we ne’er have seen.
MacManmany arrested Jack
And with a gentle jerk
Pounced down upon our old friend John,
With jemmy hard at work.
Chorus:
Our Jack’s come home today,
Our Jack’s come home today,
Quite wan and pale from out of gaol,
Our Jack’s come home today,

When Jack came out of quod today,
We had a glorious spree,
We made a tour of Melbourne pubs
As jovial as could be.
And then when nightfall once again,
We started in ad lib,
Till Jack proposed a partnership,
To crack another crib.
Chorus:
Our Jack’s come home today,
Our Jack’s come home today,
Quite wan and pale from out of gaol,
Our Jack’s come home today,

With Jemmies and with skeleton keys,
Of cribs we went in search,
But seeing Dave O’Donnell,
I soon left Jack in the lurch.
But Jack undaunted set to work,
A blooming crib to crack;
O’Donnell, like a ton of bricks,
Swooped down and lumbered Jack.
Final chorus:
Our Jack’s gone back today,
‘Set up’ he’ll be they say;
A grand record he’ll get from Ward,
Our Jack’s gone back today.

Our Jack’s Come Out Today (Queensland version) This version was published in 1889 in The Native Companion Songster, in Queensland. Both songs are parodies on the sailor’s song and share the same tune.

Our Jack’s come out today, my boys,
And very glad is he;
He got six months in Brisbane gaol,
But now at last he’s free.
His hair’s cut short, he had to work,
For which he got no pay,
But all is past, he’s out at last,
Our Jack’s come out today.

Our Jack’s come out today, my boys,
And it would make you stare,
To hear the yarns he spins about
The coves he met in there.
Some in for life, which he thought hard,
Some screwed up for a day,
But all is past, he’s out at last,
Our Jack’s come out today.

Our Jack’s come out today, my boys,
And isn’t Polly glad;
She had to pawn the things he shook,
And found out she was had.
The price she got was not enough
To keep her for a day,
But all is past, she’s right at last,
Her Jack’s come out today.

Here is the ABC (from a MIDI save of my MusicTime file):

MIDI file: our_jack.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Tempo: 128 (468750 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0720 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0288 0 65 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 67 080 0288 0 67 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 65 080 0288 0 65 064 0072 1 62 080 0096 0 62 064 0024 1 60 080 0576 0 60 064 0144 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 71 080 0048 0 71 064 0012 1 72 080 0048 0 72 064 0012 1 74 080 0288 0 74 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 65 080 0096 0 65 064 0024 1 67 080 0576 0 67 064 0264 1 62 080 0048 0 62 064 0012 1 64 080 0048 0 64 064 0012 1 65 080 0192 0 65 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 71 080 0288 0 71 064 0072 1 69 080 0048 0 69 064 0012 1 67 080 0048 0 67 064 0012 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 69 080 0096 0 69 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 74 080 0096 0 74 064 0024 1 74 080 0576 0 74 064 0144 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 76 080 0288 0 76 064 0072 1 74 080 0096 0 74 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0192 0 65 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 77 080 0096 0 77 064 0024 1 76 080 0288 0 76 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 74 080 0288 0 74 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0576 0 72 064 0144 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 71 080 0096 0 71 064 0024 1 69 080 0576 0 69 064 0144 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 74 080 0288 0 74 064 0072 1 76 080 0096 0 76 064 0024 1 74 080 0288 0 74 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 71 080 0576 0 71 064 0144 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0144 1 76 080 0288 0 76 064 0072 1 74 080 0096 0 74 064 0024 1 72 080 0288 0 72 064 0072 1 64 080 0096 0 64 064 0024 1 65 080 0288 0 65 064 0072 1 67 080 0096 0 67 064 0024 1 69 080 0288 0 69 064 0072 1 77 080 0096 0 77 064 0024 1 76 080 0288 0 76 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 74 080 0288 0 74 064 0072 1 72 080 0096 0 72 064 0024 1 72 080 0576 0 72 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:4/4
Q:1/4=128
K:C
G8|c3cc3E|F3GA3A|G3GF3D|C6G2|c2ccc3B|A3GA3B/2c/2|
d3cE3F|G7D/2E/2|F2B2B3A/2G/2|E2G2c3B|A3Ac3d|
d6G2|e3dc3E|F2G2A3f|e3cd3c|c6G2|c3Bc3B|A6A2|
d3ed3c|B6G2|e3dc3E|F3GA3f|e3cd3c|c19/4||

Regards,

Bob Bolton