Lyrics excerpt ...
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[Verse 1]
When I was a young man, I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
[Verse 2]
Then in 1915, my country said, "Son
It's time to stop rambling, 'cause there's work to be done"
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
[Chorus 1]
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off for Gallipoli
[Verse 3]
How well I remember that terrible day
When the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that ---- that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
[Verse 4]
Johnny Turk, he was ready, he primed himself well
He showered us with bullets and he rained us with s----s
And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to ----
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
[Chorus]
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
And we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then it started all over again
[Verse 5]
Now those who were living did their best to survive
In that mad world of death, blood, and fire
And for seven long weeks, I kept myself alive
While the corpses around me piled higher
[Verse 6]
Then a big Turkish s---- knocked me arse over ---
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, Christ, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
[Chorus 3]
And no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
To the green bushes so far and near
For to hang tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me
[Verse 7]
So they collected the cripples, the wounded and maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The legless, the armless, the blind and insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
[Verse 8]
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
[Chorus 4]
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
And they turned their faces away
[Verse 9]
And now every April, I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving their dreams of past glory
[Verse 10]
I see the old men, all twisted and torn
The forgotten heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask me, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
[Chorus 5]
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer the call
But year after year, their numbers get fewer
Someday no one will march there at all
[Outro]
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll go a-waltzing Matilda with me?
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