WHEN IWAS A
YOUNG MAN
I CARRIED A PACK
AND I LIVED THE FREE
LIFE OF A ROVER
FROM THE MURRAY'S
GREEN BANKS TO THE
DUSTY OUT BACK
I WALTZED ME
MATILDA ALL OVER
THEN IN 1915 THE
COUNTRY SAID SON
NO TIME FOR ROVING
THERE'S WORK TO
BE DONE
AND THEV GAVE ME
A TIN HAT AND GAVE ME
A GUN
AND THEY SENT ME
AWAY TO THE WAR
AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
AS OUR SHIP PULLED
AWAY FROM THE QUAY
AND AMIDST ALL
THE CHEERS
THE FLAG WAVING
AND TEARS
WE SAILED OFF FOR
GALLIPOLI
HOW WELL I REMEMBER
THAT TERRIBLE DAY
WHEN OUR BLOOD
STAINED THE SAND
AND THE WATER
AND HOW IN THAT HELL
THAT THEY CALLED
SOUVLA BAY
WE WERE BUTCHERED
LIKE LAMBS AT
THE SLAUGHTER
JOHNNY TURK HE WAS
WAITING HE'D PRIMED
HIMSELF WELL
SHOWERED US WITH
BULLETS AND RAINED
US WITH SHELL
AND IN TEN MINUTES
FLAT HE'D BLOWN US
TO HELL
NEARLY BLEW US RIGHT
BACK TO AUSTRALIA
AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
AS WE STOPPED TO BURY
THE SLAIN
WE BURIED OURS AND
THE TURKS BURIED
THEIRS
THEN WE STARTED
ALL OVER AGAIN
THEV COLLECTED
THE CRIPPLES
THE WOUNDED
AND MAIMED
AND THEY SHIPPED US
BACK HOME TO
AUSTRALIA
THE ARMLESS
THE LEGLESS
THE BLIND AND INSANE
ALL THE BRAVE
WOUNDED HEROES
OF SOUVLA
AND WHEN OUR SHIP
PULLED IN TO
CIRCULAR QUAY
AND I LOOKED AT THE
PLACE WHERE ME LEGS
USED TO BE
I THANKED CHRIST
THERE WAS NOBODY
WAITING FOR ME
TO GRIEVE AND TO
MOURN AND TO PITY
AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
AS THEY CARRIED US
DOWN THE GANGWAY
BUT NOBODY CHEERED
THEY JUST STOOD THERE
AND STARED
AND THEN TURNED THEIR
FACES AWAY
SO NOW EVERY APRIL
I SIT ON MY PORCH
AND I WATCH THE
PARADE PASS
BEFORE ME
AND I SEE MY OLD
COMRADES HOW PROUDLY
THEY MARCH
RE-LIVING OLD DREAMS
AND PAST GLORY
BUT THE OLD MEN MARCH
SLOWLY THEIR BONES
STIFF AND SORE
TIRED OLD MEN FROM
THE TIRED OLD WAR
AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE
ASK WHAT ARE
THEY MARCHING FOR
AND I ASK ME SELF
THE SAME QUESTION
BUT THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
ANDTHE OLD MEN
THEY ANSWERED
THE CALL
BUT YEAR BY YEAR
THOSE OLD MEN
DISAPPEAR
SOON
NO-ONE WILL MARCH
THERE AT ALL