Nic Jones - Isle of France lyrics

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 gla** And here's success to the Isle of France."