Delton Brown - Bold Jack Donahue



Lyrics as transcribed from this recording:

Come all you highway robbers and outlaws of disdain(?), who scorn to live in slavery or wear the brand of shame, attention pay to what I say and value it if you do, Till I relate the matchless fate of bold Jack Donahue.

now boys it never shall be said that Donahue the brave, would humble to the British law or be old England s slave, I d rather roam the forest like a wolf or a kangaroo, than to work one hour for government cried bold Jack Donahue.

now Donahue was taken in the middle of is prime, and sentenced to be hanged for his outrageous crime, he soon released from the horse police and Colonel Kenny too, before they reached the central jail they lost bold Donahue.

as soon as he gained his freedom, to robbing he went straight way, the people they dare not travel the roads for he s there both night and day, and everyday the newspapers would publish something new, concerning the great highwayman called bold Jack Donahue.

as Donanue and his companions rode out one afternoon, not dreaming that the doom of death would them approach so soon, eight horse police came riding up while armed as they hove in view, and in very quick time they did at them to take bold Donahue.

said Donahue to his companions If you ll stand true to me, this day I ll fight for liberty and that right manfully, to be hanged up on the gallows high I never intend to do, this day I ll fight until I die cried bold Jack Donahue.

Oh no said cowardly Angelou Such a thing I never will do, you see there s eight or nine of them, a battle we ll surely rue Then be gone from me you cowardly dog cried bold Jack Donahue.

the Sergeant said to Donahue Discard your carabine, or do you intend to fight with us or unto us resign? To surrender to such cowardly dogs I never intend to due, this day I ll fight for liberty cried bold Jack Donahue.

the sargeant and the corporal they did their men divide, while some of them behind him fired, while others to his side, the Sergeant and the Corporal they fired at him too, until they received a rifle ball which caused them to lay low.

nine rounds were fired from the police before the fatal ball, that pierced the heart of Donahue as he caused by to fall, and as he closed his troubled eyes he bid the world adieu, Good people all pray for the soul of bold Jack Donahue. This song is sung a cappella. The last four word of the song of bold Jack Donahue are spoken, not sung. The singer changes the tone of his voice noticeably when singing the lines (stanza 7) Oh no said cowardly Angelou, Such a thing I will never do, you see there s eight or nine of them, a battle we ll surely rue and again the singer takes another different tone when singing the response Then be gone from me you cowardly dog. At the beginning of stanza 8 the singer begins the first line twice, clears his throat and says pardon me and then continues (starting a third time).

The Wild Colonial Boy (appears elsewhere on this Wikia) is about the same outlaw)

MainlyNorfolk.info has excellent info and citation on this tune, here's the first of it:

" Roud 611 ; Ballad Index   ; trad. The earliest Donahue ballad appeared in The Sydney Gazette September 7, 1830. On January 2, 1825 Jack Donahue arrived at Sydney Cove on board the convict ship  Ann and Amelia . He had been sentenced to transportation for life on a charge “intent to commit felony.” He escaped and wrought on the planters and police until on September 1, 1830 Donahue, with his companions William Webber and John Warmsley, was ambushed by a party of police near Bringelly. Donahue was shot dead, while Webber and Walmsley escaped."

The song was most famously sung by Sandy Denny (her version can be found here: http://lyrics.wikia.com/Sandy_Denny:Bold_Jack_Donahue and is quite close to the provided transcription (both following the story of a bushranger, as Denny calls him, named Jack Donahue who was captured, escaped, robbed, and then was gunned down my a number of horse police ). Although there are numerous differences between the versions throughout, some of the most notable ones are that in the above transcription the singer says Donahue travels with companions (stanza 5), whereas Denny sings that he was riding the mountainside alone . In relation to this, in the above transcription the singer adds two entire stanzas not present in Denny s version (numbers 6 and 7) where Donahue has exchanges with his men. Also, in the above transcription Donahue fights for liberty (stanzas 5 and 7) whereas in Denny s he simply fights with all his might. Also, this recording makes no reference to any specific place whereas Denny references Bathurst Gaol.

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