Mum and dad
and Danny saw the
passing out parade
at Puckapunyal
It was a long march
from cadets
The sixth battalion
was the next to tour
and it was me
who drew the card
We did Canungra
and Shoalwater
before we left
And Townsville
lined the footpaths
as we marched
down to the quay
This clipping from
the paper shows us
young and strong
and clean
And there's me
in me slouch hat
with me SLR and greens
God help me
l was only nineteen
From Vung Tau
riding Chinooks
to the dust at Nui Oat
I'd been in and out
of choppers
now for months
And we made our
tents a home
VB and pinups
on the lockers
And an Asian
orange sunset
through the scrub
And can you
tell me doctor
why l still
can't get to sleep
And night time's
just a jungle dark
and a barking M16
And whats this rash
that comes and goes
can you tell me
what it means
God help me
l was only nineteen
A four week operation
when each step
can mean your last one
on two legs
It was a war
within yourself
But you wouldn't
let your mates down
'til they had
you dusted off
So you closed
your eyes
and thought about
somethin' else
And then someone
yelled out contact
and the bloke
behind me swore
We hooked in
there for hours
then a God
almighty roar
And Frankie kicked
a mine the day
that mankind
kicked the moon
God help me
He was goin' home
in June
And I can still
see Frankie
drinkin' tinnies
in the Grand Hotel
On a thirty-six hour
rec leave in Vung Tau
And lean
still hear Frankie
lying screaming
in the jungle
'Til the
morphine came
and killed the bloody row
And the Anzac legends
didn't mention mud
and blood and tears
And the stories
that my father told me
never seemed quite real
I caught some pieces
in my back
that I didn't even feel
God help me
l was only nineteen
And can you tell me
doctor why I still
can't get to sleep
And why the
Channel Seven
chopper chills me
to my feet
And whats this rash
that comes and goes
Can you tell me
what it means
God help me
l was only nineteen