I was just about nineteen

When I landed on their shore

With my eyes big as headlights

Like the thousands and thousands who came before

I was going to be something . . .

Smiled at the man scrutinising my face

As I stepped down off the gangway



Came down to their city

Where I worked for many's the year

Built a hundred houses

Must've pulled half a million pints of beer

Living under suspicion

Putting up with the hatred and fear in their eyes

You can see that you're nothing but a murderer

In their eyes, we're nothing but a bunch of murderers



Hey, Johnny, can't wait till Saturday night!

Got a thirst that's raging . . .

Know a place where we can put that right

Wash away the confusion

Hose down this fire inside

But look out!

'Cause I'll tear you into pieces if you cross me.



I'm sick of watching them break up

Every time some bird brain puts us down

Making jokes on the radio . . .

Guess it helps them all drown out the sound

Of the crumbling foundations

Any fool can see the writing on the wall

But they just don't believe that its happening.



There's a crowd says I'm alright

Say they like my turn of phrase

Take me round to their parties

Like some dressed up monkey in a cage.

And I play my accordion

Oh! but when the wine seeps through the facade

It's nothing but the same old story

Nothing but the same old story



Got a brother in Boston

Says he'll send me on the fare

Just wrote me a letter

Making out that he's cleaning up out there

Two cars in the driveway.

Summer house way down on the Cape

And I know he'd fix me up in the morning



I've been thinking about it

But it seems so far to go

People say in the winter

you'd get lost underneath the snow

And there's this girl from my home place

We've been planning to move back and give it a try

So I never got around to going

That's why I never got around to going