D                  A          G                 D
Eighteen-hundred & 78 was the year I remeber so well
D                        A               G                  D
they put my father in an early grave and slung my mother in gaol
D                      A
now I don't know whats right or wrong
         G              D
but they hung Christ on nails
D                A
6 kids at home & 2 still on the breast
     G                     D
they wouldn't even give us bail

[Chorus]
D                A
Poor Ned, you're better off dead
   G                              D
at least you'll get some peace of mind
D
you're out on the track
A
they're right on your  back
G                 A        D 
boy they're gonna hang you high      )

[Verse 2]
D                               A          
You know I wrote a letter 'bout Stringy-Bark Creek
   G               D   
so they would understand
D                 A 
that I might be a bushranger
        G               D 
but I'm not a murdering man
D                      A 
I didn't want to shoot Kennedy
        G           D 
or that copper Lonnigan
D                   A
he alone could have saved his life
   G                  D  
by throwing down his gun

[Chorus]
D                A
Poor Ned, you're better off dead
   G                              D
at least you'll get some peace of mind
D
you're out on the track
A
they're right on your  back
G                 A        D 
boy they're gonna hang you high      )

[Verse 3]
D                      A  
You know they took Ned Kelly
        G                         D
& they hung him in the Melbourne gaol
D                 A
he fought so very bravely
G               D        
dressed in iron mail
D               A
& no man single handed
    G                 D
can hope to break the bars
D                           A
there's a thousand like Ned Kelly
       G                 D 
who'll hoist the flag of stars

[Chorus]
         D                 A
We sing: Poor Ned, you're better off dead
   G                              D
at least you'll get some peace of mind
D
you're out on the track
A
they're right on your  back
G                 A        D 
boy they're gonna hang you high      )