G C G C G Hold me now, oh hold me now Em C D Till this hour has gone around Bm Em C And Iʼm gone on the rising tide G D G C G For to face Van Diemenʼs land Itʼs a bitter pill I swallow here To be rent from one so dear We fought for justice and not for gain But the magistrate sent me away Now kings will rule and the poor will toil And tear their hands as they tear the soil But a day will come in the dawning age When an honest man sees an honest wage Hold me now, hold me now Till this hour has gone around And Iʼm gone on the rising tide For to face Van Diemenʼs land Still the gunman rules and widows pay A scarlet coat now a black beret They thought that blood and sacrifice Could out of death bring forth a life