Verse 1 D G A D I am a member of the council of the naval mutiny D G D A D And no traitor to my conscience having done my sworn duty Verse 2 D G A D These are my last words before the scaffold and I charge you all to hear D G D A D How a wretched British sailor Became a citizen mutineer Verse 3 D G A D Pressed into service to carry powder I was loyal to the crack of the whip D G D A D If I starved on the streets of Bristol, I starved worse on a British ship Chorus D G Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea D A D D G D White is the colour of my innocence, not surrender to your mercy Verse 4 D G A D I was awoken from my misery by the words of Thomas Paine D G D A D On my barren soil they fell like The sweetest drops of rain Chorus D G Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea D A D D G D White is the colour of my innocence, not surrender to your mercy BRIDGE D D So in the spring of the year we took the fleet every sail and cannon and compass sheet G A And we flew a Jacobean flag to give us heart D Bm G A D While Pitt stood helpless we were waiting for Bonaparte Chorus D G Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea D A D D G D White is the colour of my innocence, not surrender to your mercy Verse 5 D G A D All you soldiers, all you sailors, all you labourers of the land D G D A D All you beggars, all you builders, you've come here to watch me hang Verse 6 D G A D And to the masters we are the rabble, we are the swinish multitude D G D A D But we can re-arrange the colours of the red and the white and the blue Chorus D G Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea D A D D G D White is the colour of my innocence, not surrender to your mercy Chorus D G Red is the colour of the new republic, blue is the colour of the sea D A D D G D White is the colour of my innocence, not surrender to your mercy