Intro: G  D  G  D  C  D  G  D  Am  G  C  D 

     G                                  D 
Come all you wild and wicked youths wherever you may be 
  G                           D 
I pray you give attention and listen unto me 
  C                                  D                 G 
I was brought up in Warwickshire, my parents raised me well 
   D                Am    G  C                D 
My name it is young Henry, a tale to you I'll tell 


G                                 D 
I and five more went one night to Squire Dunhill's park 
    G                                  D 
All hoping we could get some game, the night it did prove dark 
    C                           D                   G 
But to our great misfortune, we were trepanned with speed 
    D            Am           G      C                  D 
And sent away to Warwick gaol, which caused my heart to bleed 


       G                            D 
It was at the March assizes, to the bar we did repair 
     G                             D 
Like Job we stood with patience to hear our sentence there 
      C                              D              G 
Being caught with old offenders, our case it did go hard 
   D                Am       G            C               D 
My sentence was for fourteen years, I was quickly sent on board 


Instrumental: G  D  G  D  C  D  G  D  Am  G  C  D 


    G                                    D 
The ship that bore us from the land, the Speedwell was her name 
    G                                    D 
For full five months and upwards, oh, we ploughed the raging Main 
   C                              D                G 
No land, no harbour did we see, believe me it's no lie 
 D                    Am   G  C                D 
Around us swamp black water, above is wan blue sky 


    G                   D 
The very day we landed upon the fateful shore 
    G                                  D 
The ranchers they stood 'round us, oh, twenty score or more 
     C                                 D              G 
They ranked us up like horses and they sold us out of hand 
    D               Am              G    C                D 
And yoked us to the plough right there, upon Van Diemen's Land 


Instrumental: G  D  G  D  C  D  G  D  Am  G  C  D 


     G                               D 
It's often when I sleep at night and have a pleasant dream 
   G                                   D 
My pretty girl, I rove abroad, through field and sparkling stream 
        C                           D               G 
Yes, in England I've been robbed of her at my right hand 
      D              Am          G  C                D 
But I wake up broken hearted here, upon Van Diemen's Land 


      G                          D 
And although the poor of England pay their end in toil 
G                            D 
Robbed of every consequence, produce of the soil 
      C                             D                 G 
Their proud, imperious landlord, if you paid rent and then 
D               Am           G   C                 D 
Sent you off on British hulks to foul Van Diemen's Land 


OUTRO: G  D  G  D  G  C  D  Am  G  C  D  G 
    Ohhhh