Tom Russell - Isaac lewis

My name is Isaac Lewis, I'm an ^Cable-bodied ^Gman On the ship the Royal Charter, bound off ^Amfor Van Diemen's ^DLand Oh, the sea that took six ^Gmonths to cross, we could do in ^Ctwo So it's ^Bmup that Mersey River, out of ^AmLiverpool we ^Dflew

And ^Gsome of us were sailors, all ^Chardy, young and old And ^Bmsome of us were pioneers, ^Cbound off for the ^Dgold There were merchants and mu^Gsicians, Christian soldiers of the ^Ccross We ^Bmstared into that foamy sea, saw our ^Amdreams there in the ^Dbroth

Sail ^Gon, sail ^Con and ^Don and ^Gon My ^Cname is Isaac ^BmLewis, ^Amthis shall be my ^Gsong

So we landed there in Botany Bay, and the ^Cboys went on the ^Gtown And I met a girl named Emma Gray, I ^Amloved her up and ^Ddown And I swore that I'd re^Gturn for her, one more tour at ^Csea But I ^Bmhad to tell my father ^Amwhat he meant to ^Dme

For every night, I ^Gdreamed a dream, as the wind swept through the ^Csails That ^BmI was in my father's house, ^Cback in northern ^DWales And I reached out for my ^Gfather, I said, "I love you very ^Cmuch," But the ^Bmship rolled o'er and the dream was drowned be^Amfore we got to ^Dtouch

Sail ^Gon, sail ^Con and ^Don and ^Gon My ^Cname is Isaac ^BmLewis, ^Amthis shall be my ^Gsong

So I kissed the lips of Emma Gray and set ^Csail for Liver^Gpool And the parrots perched in the riggings, boys and the ^Amdolphins swam in ^Dschools Our trip, it was a ^Gpleasant one, till we reached the coast of ^CWales And ^Bmone day out from Liverpool, ^Amgod unleashed a ^Dgale

Good ^Glord, I've seen some squalls, me boys and ^Churricanes at ^Gsea And many nights I'd rediscovered, ^Amfaith on bended ^Dknee But I never seen it ^Gblow so hard, we anchored her at ^Clast But the ^Bmwaves rolled o'er the top of us, we ^Amhad to cut the ^Dmast

And all the ^Gmining magnates clutched their gold, be^Clieving they'd be ^Gsaved But their bloody greed destroyed them first, be^Amneath the angry ^Dwaves All the women and the ^Gchildren, lost to eterni^Cty Ah, ^Bmman has tamed and shaped the land, he'll ^Amnever tame the ^Dsea

And every night I had ^Gdreamed a dream, as the wind swept through the ^Csails That ^BmI was in my father's house, ^Amback in northern ^DWales And I reached for my ^Gfather, I said, "I love you very ^Cmuch," But the ^Bmship rolled o'er and the dream was drowned be^Amfore we got to ^Dtouch

Sail ^Gon, ^Chmmm, ^Dhmmm, ^Ghmmm ^Chmmm, ^Bmhmmm, ^Amhmmm, ^Ghmmm

We were caught upon the rocks, just ^Cten yards from the ^Gshore And we saw men standing on the rocks, ^Ammaybe three or ^Dmore And I swear I saw my ^Gfather waving at me through the ^Csquall And I ^Bmscreamed that I was coming home, that's ^Amall that I re^Dcall

For the ^Gwaves they swept me overboard with the ^Cbroken mast and ^Gsails And I ^Bmdrowned, where as a child I'd fished, on the ^Crocks of northern ^DWales And in three days time I ^Gwashed up on the whitened sandy ^Cshore One ^Bmhundred yards from Moelfre and my ^Amfather's white oak ^Ddoor

Sail ^Gon, sail ^Con and ^Don and ^Gon My ^Cname is Isaac ^BmLewis, ^Amthis shall be my ^Gsong

And some will shout coincidence, or ^Csay this can't be ^Gtrue I only say, just tell your loved ones ^Amwhat they mean to ^Dyou For you shall sail the ^Gseas of life, pursuing golden ^Cschemes Yet, ^Bmdrown so closely to your home, the ^Amcradle of your ^Ddreams

Sail ^Gon, sail ^Con and ^Don and ^Gon My ^Cname is Isaac ^BmLewis and ^Amthis has been my ^Gsong My ^Cname is Isaac ^BmLewis and ^Amthis has been my ^Gsong