The Wild Colonial Boy
Encyclopedia
"The Wild Colonial Boy" is a traditional Irish
–Australia
n ballad of which there are many different versions, the most prominent being the Irish and Australian versions. The original version was about Jack Donahue
, an Irish rebel who became a convict, then a bushranger http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clancyann/rebelgirlhistory.html, who was eventually shot down by police. This version was outlawed as seditious so the name changed. The Irish version is about a young emigrant, named Jack Duggan, who left the town of Castlemaine, County Kerry
, Ireland, for Australia in the 19th century. According to the song, he spent his time there 'robbing from the rich to feed the poor'. In the song, the protagonist is fatally wounded in an ambush when his heart is pierced by the bullet of Fitzroy. The song has been recorded by Dr. Hook, Rolf Harris
, and The Clancy Brothers, among others.
G C D7 G
There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Duggan was his name
D D7 G
He was born and raised in Ireland, in a place called Castlemain
D D7 G
He was his father's only son, his mother's pride and joy,
D7 C D D6 D7 G
And dearly did his parents love, the wild colonial boy.
Repeat.
-
in question is that in Victoria
.
Here is one version of the 'Jack Doolan' poem:
Chorus:
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
–Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n ballad of which there are many different versions, the most prominent being the Irish and Australian versions. The original version was about Jack Donahue
Jack Donahue
Jack Donohue was a bushranger in Australia. He had numerous ballads written about him, including Bold Jack Donahue.Jack Donahue was born in Dublin in 1806...
, an Irish rebel who became a convict, then a bushranger http://members.ozemail.com.au/~clancyann/rebelgirlhistory.html, who was eventually shot down by police. This version was outlawed as seditious so the name changed. The Irish version is about a young emigrant, named Jack Duggan, who left the town of Castlemaine, County Kerry
Castlemaine, County Kerry
Castlemaine is a small town in County Kerry, southwest Ireland. It lies on the N70 national secondary road between Killorglin and Tralee.-History:...
, Ireland, for Australia in the 19th century. According to the song, he spent his time there 'robbing from the rich to feed the poor'. In the song, the protagonist is fatally wounded in an ambush when his heart is pierced by the bullet of Fitzroy. The song has been recorded by Dr. Hook, Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
, and The Clancy Brothers, among others.
Chords
-G C D7 G
There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Duggan was his name
D D7 G
He was born and raised in Ireland, in a place called Castlemain
D D7 G
He was his father's only son, his mother's pride and joy,
D7 C D D6 D7 G
And dearly did his parents love, the wild colonial boy.
Repeat.
-
Irish lyrics
The lyrics are as follows:- There was a wild colonial boy,
- Jack Duggan was his name
- He was born and raised in Ireland,
- in a place called Castlemaine
- He was his father's only son,
- his mother's pride and joy
- And dearly did his parents love
- the wild colonial boy
- At the early age of sixteen years,
- he left his native home
- And to Australia's sunny shore,
- he was inclined to roam
- He robbed the rich, he helped the poor,
- he shot James MacEvoy
- A terror to Australia was
- the wild colonial boy
- One morning on the prairie,
- as Jack he rode along
- A-listening to the mocking bird,
- a-singing a cheerful song
- Up stepped a band of troopers:
- Kelly, Davis and Fitzroy
- They all set out to capture him,
- the wild colonial boy
- Surrender now, Jack Duggan,
- for you see we're three to one
- Surrender in the Queen's high name,
- you are a plundering son
- Jack drew two pistols from his belt,
- he proudly waved them high
- I'll fight, but not surrender,
- said the wild colonial boy
- He fired a shot at Kelly,
- which brought him to the ground
- And turning round to Davis,
- he received a fatal wound
- A bullet pierced his proud young heart,
- from the pistol of Fitzroy
- And that was how they captured him,
- the wild colonial boy
Australian lyrics
The Australian version is quite different. It is about a boy named Jack Doolan, born in Castlemaine. The poem then continues on to tell of his exploits without mentioning his moving to Australia, which implies that the CastlemaineCastlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
in question is that in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
Here is one version of the 'Jack Doolan' poem:
Chorus:
- Come, all my hearties,
- we'll roam the mountains high,
- Together we will plunder,
- together we will ride.
- We'll scar over valleys,
- and gallop for the plains,
- And scorn to live in
- slavery, bound down by iron chains.
- It's of a wild Colonial Boy,
- Jack Doolan was his name,
- Of poor but honest parents,
- he was born in Castlemaine.
- He was his father's only son,
- his mother's pride and joy,
- And so dearly did his parents love
- the wild Colonial Boy.
- When scarcely sixteen years of age
- he left his father's home,
- And through Australia's sunny shores
- a bushranger did roam.
- He'd rob the largest squatters,
- their stock he would destroy,
- a terror to Australia was
- the wild Colonial Boy.
- In sixty-one this daring youth
- commenced his wild career,
- With a heart that knew no danger,
- no stranger would did he fear.
- He bailed up the Beechworth roll mail-coach,
- and robbed Judge MacEvoy,
- Who trembled and gave up his gold to
- the wild Colonial Boy.
- He bade the judge "Good morning",
- and told him to beware,
- That he'd never rob a poor man
- who wafted on the square,
- Three mounted troopers came in sight
- Kelly, Davis and Fitzroy,
- who thought that they would capture him,
- the wild Colonial Boy.
- "Surrender now, Jack Doolan,
- you see were three to one".
- Surrender in the queens name
- you daring highwayman,"
- Jack drew two pistols from his belt,
- and waved them proud and free
- "I'll fight, but not surrender,"
- cried the wild Colonial Boy.
- He fired at Trooper Kelly
- and brought him to the ground,
- And in return from Davis
- received a mortal wound.
- All shattered through the jaws he lay
- still firing at Fitzroy,
- And that's the way they captured him-
- the wild Colonial Boy.
In popular culture
- In the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a version of this song was popularized by folk singer Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
. - The walking skeleton in Robert FrostRobert FrostRobert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
's poem the Witch of Coos is said to have been searching for way out of the house, because he wanted to sing his favorite song, "The Wild Colonial Boy", in the snow. - A portion of the Irish version of "The Wild Colonial Boy" can be heard in the 1952 film The Quiet ManThe Quiet ManThe Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
. - Mick Jagger sings this song in the 1970 movie Ned KellyNed KellyEdward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
, which is about a real-life Australian outlaw. - A waltz version of the tune features in the ball scene in Baz Luhrmann's film AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(2008)