A blacksmith and his striker swore that justice would be done
A rich man must still pay for what he owes
And it's now a point of honour that the old debt must be cleared
Or they'll lead away his gelding by the nose
But justice is for judges, not for blacksmiths and their like
So the court did not accept their honest plea
The judge had soon concluded that the men were rightly charged
And told the courts a hanging there would be
The judge had soon concluded that the men were rightly charged
But on appeal the judge agreed
The pair's lives could be saved
And transportation deemed to fit the crime
They sailed aboard the Indian in July 1810
To be held in Sydney Cobb in six months' time
New South Wales
To save their lives
Life was hard, but precious too
So they'd take their second chance
In the hope of living free
One day, one day
In the hope of living free
But James and Benji seemed to have a big possible cause


A knack for trouble found
And pushing back the rules till trouble came
The card had drawn his sabre
When the men were out of bounds
James punched him and was back in jail again
One year sleeping in the jailhouse
From a hundred lashes sore
The life was hard but still James wasn't bound
Then his luck would change forever
As a blacksmith they required
Recruited for the new blue mountain road
New South Wales had saved their lives
Life was hard but still James wasn't bound
Precious too
So they'd take their second chance
In the hope of living free
One day, one day
Six months sleeping in the mountains
After grafting all the day
Under any simple shelter they came
On
They had no tents to give them cover
Their one blanket wet and cold
But the promise of their freedom drove them on
In just six months the road was laid
The rolling pastures reached
James was granted a full pardon and set free
He forged a living as a blacksmith
Then he married set free
He settled down
And he and Mary raised a family
He earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
He earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
He'd escaped the hard man's rock
New South Wales he made his home
He earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
So some years down the road
The final irony was clear
An English court had sentenced James to hang
For stealing a black gelding
To recover an old debt
In Staffordshire back in the heart of England
Now James' eldest son was killed
James' eldest son who had been born in New South Wales
Had built a very wealthy company
Then been sworn in as a magistrate
That English convict's son
And breeding fine racehorses was his joy
James earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
He earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
He'd escaped the hard man's rock
New South Wales he made his home
He earned his freedom on the blue mountain road
New South Wales had saved their lives
Life was hard but precious too
So they'd take their time
They'd take their chance
In the hope of living free
One day, one day