http://www.wordnik.com/lists/tunie-and-the-band-played-waltzing-matilda.xml I used to sing this as a lullaby to my spawn—till said spawn grew big enough to understand the words, and asked me to sing something else. <br /> <br />Written by Eric Bogle, c. 1971. <br /> <br />When I was a <a href="/words/young">young</a> man, I carried my <a href="/words/pack">pack</a> <br />And I lived the free life of a <a href="/words/rover">rover</a> <br />From the Murray's green <a href="/words/basin">basin</a> to the dusty <a href="/words/outback">outback</a> <br /><a href="/words/I waltzed my Matilda all over">I waltzed my Matilda all over</a> <br />Then in 1915, my country said "Son, <br />It's time to stop <a href="/words/rambling">rambling</a>, 'cause there's work to be done." <br />So they gave me a <a href="/words/tin">tin</a> hat and they gave me a <a href="/words/gun">gun</a> <br />And they sent me away to the <a href="/words/war">war</a> <br /> <br />And the band played <a href="/words/Waltzing Matilda">Waltzing Matilda</a> as we <a href="/words/sailed">sailed</a> away from the <a href="/words/quay">quay</a> <br />And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the <a href="/words/cheers">cheers</a> <br />We sailed off to <a href="/words/Gallipoli">Gallipoli</a> <br /> <br />How well I remember that <a href="/words/terrible">terrible</a> day <br />How the <a href="/words/blood">blood</a> stained the <a href="/words/sand">sand</a> and the water <br />And how in that hell that they called <a href="/words/Suvla Bay">Suvla Bay</a> <br />We were <a href="/words/butchered">butchered</a> like lambs at the <a href="/words/slaughter">slaughter</a> <br />Johnny Turk he was ready, he <a href="/words/primed">primed</a> himself well <br />He showered us with <a href="/words/bullets">bullets</a>, he rained us with <a href="/words/shells">shells</a> <br />And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell <br />Nearly blew us right back to <a href="/words/Australia">Australia</a> <br /> <br />But the band played Waltzing Matilda as we stopped to <a href="/words/bury">bury</a> our <a href="/words/slain">slain</a> <br />We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs, then we started all over again <br /> <br />Now those that were left, well we tried to <a href="/words/survive">survive</a> <br />In a <a href="/words/mad world">mad world</a> of blood, death and <a href="/words/fire">fire</a> <br />And for ten weary weeks I kept myself <a href="/words/alive">alive</a> <br />While around me the <a href="/words/corpses">corpses</a> piled higher <br />Then a big Turkish shell knocked me <a href="/words/arse over tit">arse over tit</a> <br />And when I woke up in my <a href="/words/hospital">hospital</a> bed <br />And saw what it had done, I wished I was <a href="/words/dead">dead</a> <br />Never knew there were <a href="/words/worse">worse</a> things than <a href="/words/dying">dying</a> <br /> <br />For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda <br />All around the green <a href="/words/bush">bush</a> far and near <br />For to hump <a href="/words/tent">tent</a> and pegs, a man needs two <a href="/words/legs">legs</a>— <br />No more waltzing Matilda for me. <br /> <br />So they collected the <a href="/words/cripples">cripples</a>, the <a href="/words/wounded">wounded</a>, the <a href="/words/maimed">maimed</a> <br />And they shipped us back home to Australia. <br />The <a href="/words/armless">armless</a>, the <a href="/words/legless">legless</a>, the <a href="/words/blind">blind</a>, the <a href="/words/insane">insane</a>— <br />Those <a href="/words/proud">proud</a> wounded <a href="/words/heroes">heroes</a> of Suvla <br />And as our ship pulled into <a href="/words/Circular Quay">Circular Quay</a> <br />I looked at the place where my legs used to be <br />And thank Christ there was <a href="/words/nobody">nobody</a> <a href="/words/waiting">waiting</a> for me <br />To <a href="/words/grieve">grieve</a> and to <a href="/words/mourn">mourn</a> and to <a href="/words/pity">pity</a> <br /> <br />And the band played Waltzing Matilda as they <a href="/words/carried">carried</a> us down the <a href="/words/gangway">gangway</a> <br />But nobody cheered, they just stood and <a href="/words/stared">stared</a> <br />Then they turned all their faces away <br /> <br />And now every <a href="/words/April">April</a> I sit on my <a href="/words/porch">porch</a>, and I watch the <a href="/words/parade">parade</a> pass before me <br />And I watch my old <a href="/words/comrades">comrades</a>, how proudly they march, reliving old <a href="/words/dreams">dreams</a> of <a href="/words/past glory">past glory</a> <br />And the <a href="/words/old men">old men</a> march slowly, all <a href="/words/bent">bent</a>, <a href="/words/stiff">stiff</a> and <a href="/words/sore">sore</a> <br />The <a href="/words/forgotten">forgotten</a> heroes from a <a href="/words/forgotten war">forgotten war</a> <br />And the young people ask, "<a href="/words/What are they marching for">What are they marching for</a>?" <br />And I ask myself the same <a href="/words/question">question</a>. <br /> <br />And the band plays Waltzing Matilda <br />And the old men still answer <a href="/words/the call">the call</a> <br />But year after year, their numbers get <a href="/words/fewer">fewer</a>— <br />Someday <a href="/words/no one">no one</a> will march there at all. <br /> <br />Waltzing matilda, Waltzing natilda <br />Who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me? <br />And their <a href="/words/ghosts">ghosts</a> may be heard as you pass by the <a href="/words/billabong">billabong</a> <br />Who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me? http://www.wordnik.com http://www.wordnik.com/words/when i was a young man Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:33:32 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/when i was a young man http://www.wordnik.com/words/young Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:33:28 +0000 http://www.wordnik.com/words/young http://www.wordnik.com/words/pack 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