"Moreton Bay" is an Australian folk ballad which tells of the hardship a convict experienced at

penal settlement A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

s around Australia, in particular, the penal colony at

Moreton Bay, Queensland Moreton Bay is a locality split between the City of Brisbane and the City of Redland, both in Queensland, Australia. The locality includes all of the bay Moreton Bay (water and islands) between the mainland of the City of Brisbane and the City ...

, which was established to house convicts who had reoffended in settlements in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. The song references exceptionally brutal treatment of convicts while the colony was under the command of the infamous

Patrick Logan Captain Patrick Logan (1791 – October 1830) was the commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement from 1826 until his death in 1830 at the hands of Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands. As he had been hated by con ...

. It also describes Logan's death at the hands of local Aborigines and the joy felt by the convicts upon hearing the news. The song may have been composed at the time of Logan's death on or soon after 18 October 1830. A version entitled "The Convict's Arrival" or "The Convict's Lament on the Death of Captain Logan" has been attributed to Francis MacNamara who was transported to Australia in 1832 and was never held at Moreton Bay. It is customarily sung to the tune of the early 19th century Irish ballad "Youghal Harbour" (also known as "Eochaill"), which was used later for the song " Boolavogue", the lyrics of which were written in 1897 for the centenary of the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influence ...

. Some lines of "Moreton Bay" were used by bushranger

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

in his

Jerilderie Letter The handwritten document known as the Jerilderie Letter was dictated by Australian bushranger Ned Kelly to fellow Kelly Gang member Joe Byrne in 1879. It is one of only two original Kelly letters known to have survived. The Jerilderie Letter is ...

in 1879. The tune was adopted as Clancy's theme in the 1982 film ''

The Man from Snowy River The Man from Snowy River may refer to: * "The Man from Snowy River" (poem), an 1890 Australian poem by Banjo Paterson. * '' The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses'' an 1895 poetry collection by Banjo Paterson (including the above) * ''The Man ...

''. It also featured in the 2003 film ''

''.

Lyrics

(Version as published by Robert Hughes in 1986) Hughes, Robert ''

The Fatal Shore ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding'' by Robert Hughes is a history of the early years of British colonisation of Australia, and especially the history and social effects of Britain's convict transportation system. It also ad ...

'' Collins Harvill, UK, 1987. p. 443 One Sunday morning as I went walking, by the

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

's waters I chanced to stray, I heard a convict his fate bewailing, as on the sunny river bank he lay; I am a native of Erin's island but banished now to the fatal shore, They tore me from my aged parents and from the maiden I do adore. I've been a prisoner at

Port Macquarie Port Macquarie is a coastal town in the local government area of Port Macquarie-Hastings. It is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. The town is located on the Tasman Sea co ...

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

and

Emu Plains Emu Plains is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 58 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith and is part of the Greater Western Sydney re ...

, At Castle Hill and cursed

Toongabbie Toongabbie is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of the oldest suburbs in Sydney, Toongabbie is located approximately 30 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Greater W ...

, at all those settlements I've worked in chains; But of all those places of condemnation, in each penal station of New South Wales, To Moreton Bay I've found no equal: excessive tyranny there each day prevails. For three long years I was beastly treated, heavy irons on my legs I wore, My back from flogging it was lacerated, and often painted with crimson gore, And many a lad from downright starvation lies mouldering humbly beneath the clay, Where

Captain Logan Captain Logan ( 1776 – November 25, 1812), also known as Spemica Lawba ("High Horn"), James Logan, or simply Logan, was a Shawnee warrior who lived in what became the U.S. state of Ohio. Although he opposed the expansion of the United States ...

he had us mangled on his

triangles A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non-collinear ...

at Moreton Bay. Like the Egyptians and ancient Hebrews, we were oppressed under Logan's yoke, Till a native black who lay in ambush did give our tyrant his mortal stroke. Fellow prisoners, be exhilarated, that all such monsters such a death may find! And when from bondage we are liberated, our former sufferings shall fade from mind.

Melody

\header \layout global = chordNames = \chordmode tenorVoice = \relative c' verse = \lyricmode chordsPart = \new ChordNames tenorVoicePart = \new Staff \with \addlyrics \score

References

External links

* ,

Bernard Fanning Bernard Fanning (born 15 August 1969) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the lead vocalist of Queensland alternative rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989. Born and raised in Toowong, Brisbane, Fanning received ...

, from ''

'' (2003) {{Convicts in Australia Australian folk songs 1830 songs