Eric Bogle - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Lyrics

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"and the band played waltzing matilda"

- eric bogle

Now when i was a young man i carried me pack and i lived the free life of a rover

From the murray's green basin to the dusty outback well i waltzed my matilda all over.

Then in 1915 my country said son it's time you stopped rambling there's work to be done.

So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun and they marched me away to the war.

And the band played waltzing matilda as the ship pulled away from the quay

And amidst all the cheers the flag-waving and tears we sailed off for gallipoli

And how well i remember that terrible day how our blood stained the sand and the water

And of how in that hell that they called suvla bay we were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.

Johnny turk he was waiting he'd primed himself well. he shower'd us with bullets

And he rained us with shell. and in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell

Nearly blew us right back to australia.

But the band played waltzing matilda when we stopped to bury our slain.

We buried ours and the turks buried theirs then we started all over again.

And those that were left well we tried to survive in that mad world of blood death and fire

And for ten weary weeks i kept myself alive though around me the corpses piled higher

Then a big turkish shell knocked me arse over head and when i woke up in my hospital bed

And saw what it had done well i wished i was dead. never knew there was worse things than dyin'.

For i'll go no more waltzing matilda all around the green bush far and free

To hump tent and pegs a man needs both legs-no more waltzing matilda for me.

So they gathered the crippled the wounded the maimed and they shipped us back home to australia.

The legless the armless the blind the insane those proud wounded heroes of suvla

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 to mourn and to pity.

But the band played waltzing matilda as they carried us down the gangway.

But nobody cheered they just stood and stared then they turned all their faces away

And so now every april i sit on me porch and i watch the parades pass before me.

And i see my old comrades how proudly they march reviving old dreams of past glories

And the old men march slowly old bones stiff and sore. they're tired old heroes from a forgotten war

And the young people ask what are they marching for? and i ask myself the same question.

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But the band plays waltzing matilda and the old men still answer the call

But as year follows year more old men disappear. someday no one will march there at all.

Waltzing matilda waltzing matilda who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me?

And their ghosts may be heard as they march by that billabong who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me?

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Notes:

"matilda" - the backpack and associated gear used by livestock drovers and prospecters

In remote areas of the australian outback.

"swag" - canvas sleeping bag

"billabong" - creek or estuary generally with an outlet to the sea and containing more or less brackish water.

Historical note:

The gallipoli campaign (april 25 1915-january 8 1916)

A major land and sea operation of world war i in which

British french australian and new zealand forces

Unsuccessfully attempted an invasion of turkey.

The action was confined to the dardanelles strait

And the tip of the gallipoli (gelibolu) peninsula near

Istanbul. the purpose of the campaign devised by british

Munitions minister david lloyd george first lord of the

Admiralty winston churchill general herbert h. kitchener

And admiral sackville h. carden was to open up a new

Theater of war as an alternative to the stalemate in

France to relieve turkish pressure on russian forces

In the caucasus and by gaining control of istanbul

And the straits to provide a direct link with russia

Via the black sea. this campaign is also significant

For australians in that it marked the first time a major

Australian military force was commanded by australian

Instead of english officers.

What initially was to be exclusively a naval operation

Failed in february 1915 when several british and french

Ships were damaged by floating mines. a land invasion was

Then decided on but it was not begun until late april.

An amphibious landing at that time was met with heavy

Resistance by the turks. excessive caution and timorous

Leadership by the british commander sir ian hamilton

Resulted in several lost initiatives. little headway

Was made beyond the several beachheads. in early august

After three months of stalemate and stagnation on the

Beaches a new major offensive was begun. once again

However the excessive caution and indifferent leadership

Of the british command offset the effect of heavy

Reinforcements. the turkish forces on the other hand were

Inspired by the leadership of mustafa kemal (kemal atatürk

Later president of turkey) and the skill of their german

Commander otto liman von sanders. after a few more months

Of stalemate hamilton was replaced by sir charles monro

Who was sent to evaluate the situation. monro recommended

Evacuation and the allied forces were withdrawn in december

And january. british casualties were 205000 out of 410000;

The french sustained a rate of 47000 out of 79000; turkish

250000 to 300000 out of 500000. the fiasco badly

Stained the reputations of churchill hamilton and kitchener.

Despite its overall failure however the gallipoli campaign

Weakened the turks enough to facilitate the british seizure

Of palestine in 1917. the action also distracted the germans

From a plan they had in 1915 to begin another offensive in france.

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