Whenever I first came out to australia
I brought two pairs of dms
And three pairs of jeans
A ticket to australia
With a head full of dreams
And there was tears at the airport
And I wrote a letter on the way
And I stopped off in singapore
But only for a day
But I
Never meant to stay no
It was only meant to be for
For a holiday
Oh but I've
I've overstayed now
And I pray now
For an amnesty
The plane landed in at botany
On a day that was very hot
And this time the irish had invaded the place
Without having to fire a shot
And I went to the hotel bondi if you know it
And bought a schooner of new
And sitting drinking it in the sun
That's when I knew
But I
Never meant to stay no
It was only meant to be for
For a holiday
Oh but I
I've overstayed now
And I pray now
For an amnesty
Two hundred years ago they were
Shippin' us out
Nineteen eighty-eight they were
Flyin' us back
There's no guards or chains
A-keepin' me here
But if they caught me
They'd probably send me back
But I
Never meant to stay no
Was only meant to be for
For a holiday
Oh but I
I've overstayed now
And I pray now
For an amnesty
I had a backpack
But I just ended up gettin' a job
I never got round to travelling
I just hit the grog
Then I moved to the suburbs
And I got married, with a kid
I've got rms instead of dms now
The jeans no longer fit
But I
Never meant to stay no
Was only meant to be for
For a holiday
Oh but I
I've overstayed now
And I pray now
For an amnesty