Parramatta Gaol 1843 Lyrics & Chords By Redgum

In the mornings they unbolt the doors
And beat the cold out of our bones
But the frozen sun can't warm the stones
Of the prison yard
Transported here for being poor
From the London street to Australia's shore
Our only choice is servant
Or the factory

A hostage of Britannia's rule
Marked to be a soldier's wife
Twenty years of convict life
In Parramatta Gaol
Deep with words of pain
Streetwise women, homeless girls
Convicts live within these walls
Exiled for life

In prisons unseen but never heard
She's always been a songless bird
The tugging in her skirt
Unfettered spirit, unyielding thought

With iron collars and shaven heads
We labored hard at the Mill
If our backs don't hold our spirits will
In solitary confines
Year after year the deepening scars
Carved by the turnkey's tireless arm
If we are the victims what is our crime
What is the price?

One sleepless night a whispered plan
Is carried on the harbor breeze
A pact of sweet conspiracy
And bold escape
Our rations cut the children starve
The murmurings and anger grow
Together we could see it through
The fuse is lit

In prisons unseen but never heard
She's always been a songless bird
The tugging in her skirt
Unfettered spirit, unyielding thought

A flash of sound the air explodes
As slaves and fists beat down the gate
Years of bitterness and hate
Finally released
The crunch of boots and bayonet's
The guard and king's artillery
Fight to quell the mutiny
With musket fire

Flying through the township's streets
The storm rages fiercely through the night
Brutally the army's might
Took control
One by one recaptured now
Thrown in cells, clapped in chains
The unity in our voice remains
A song of hope

In prisons unseen but never heard
She's always been a songless bird
The tugging in her skirt
Unfettered spirit, unyielding thought