LET ROPE SOAP AND CALICO TAKE ME

Chorus
Let the rope soap and calico take me
I'll grin and I'll hold me head high
And the devil take him who can make me
Bow low for I'd far rather die


The landlord that fenced in our farmland
Was a thief and he left us to die
The Judge gave five years transportation
But I downed him and blackened his eye.

On the brig we lived worse than them cattle
I was detailed to clean up the ship
That would take us away to Australia
But I laughed when they gave me the whip

Chorus

At Fremantle the rat cell awaited
Some others had died in that place
The guard who released me weeks later
From the person I spat in his face

I was sentenced to work on the chain gang
Lashed our backs as the rocks we did crush
But I struck a grave blow at the weakling
And made a break out to the bush

Chorus

Near starving I met up with Dougan
And rode with his wild Irish band
And plundered the rich, idle squatters
When we levelled our guns and cried “Stand”!

We were caught in an ambush near Collie
And most of us died in that fight
I was locked up in jail for a dawn band
But I broke through the roof in the night.

Chorus

I rode with the rustlers at Moora
And many’s the cattle I duffed
I went to the bush and rode stock routes
And with swag many miles I have roughed.

With a new name I joined in the goldrush
And was lucky and struck a good claim
But the land owner’s syndicate jumped me
And I swore I would blacken his name

Chorus

Now then killing does make a man suffer
It suffers and gets the dispair
But he brought his young wife to the diggings
So I gave the old bastard an heir

And he sent all his hirelings to get me
And I laughed as the bullets did fly
And I’ll laugh when I hang in the morning
Cause I don’t give a damn if I die

Chorus

Let the rope soap and calico take me
I'll grin and I'll hold me head high
And the devil take him who can make me
Bow low for I'd far rather die