Oh the sky was dark and the night advanced When a convict came to the Isle of France And round his leg was a ringing chain And his country was of the Shamrock Green
I'm from the Shamrock this convict cried That has been tossed on the ocean wide For being unruly I do declare I was doomed to transport these seven long years
When six of them they were up and past I was coming home to make up the last When the winds did blow and the seas did roar They cast me here on this foreign shore
So then the coastguard he played a part And with some brandy, he cheered the convict's heart Although the night is far advanced You shall find a friend on the Isle of France
So he sent a letter all to the queen Concerning the wreck of the Shamrock Green And his freedom came by a speedy post For the absent convict they thought was lost
God bless the coastguard this convict cried For he's saved my life from the ocean wide And I'll drink his health in a flowing glass And here's success to the Isle Of France