The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
The Dubliners Lyrics

When I was a young man I carried me pack
When I was younger, I was a wanderer of the Australian countryside, living freely and without care.

And I lived the free life of the rover
I roamed wherever I pleased without roots or responsibility.

From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback
I ventured from lush valleys to dusty deserts.

I waltzed my Matilda all over
I carried my prized possession, a swag or bedroll in Australian slang, everywhere I went.

Then in 1915 my country said: Son,
In 1915, my country asked me to join the military.

It's time to stop rambling, there's work to be done
It was time to put aside my wandering ways and serve.

So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
To prepare me for war, I was issued a helmet and a firearm.

And they sent me away to the war
I was shipped off to fight in a foreign war.

And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we departed for war, the band played a somber rendition of our beloved Australian folk song.

When the ship pulled away from the quay
As the ship cast off from the dock.

And amid all the tears, flag waving and cheers
Despite the farewell fanfare and emotions, I knew not what lay ahead.

We sailed off for Gallipoli
We set sail for the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, the site of our first battle.

It well I remember that terrible day
The memory remains fresh in my mind.

When our blood stained the sand and the water
During the battle, we spilled our blood on the land and sea.

And how in that hell they call Suvla Bay
The place I fought in the Gallipoli Campaign was a hell they call Suvla Bay.

We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
We were killed without mercy, like innocent lambs led to their slaughter.

Johnny Turk, he was ready, he primed himself well
The Turkish soldiers were well-prepared and equipped.

He rained us with bullets, and he showered us with shell
In battle, the Turkish forces attacked us with bullets and shells.

And in five minutes flat, we were all blown to hell
In just five minutes, we were killed and sent to hell.

He nearly blew us back home to Australia
The intensity and ferocity of the Turkish attack nearly sent us back to our homeland.

When we stopped to bury our slain
We stopped to bury our dead.

Well we buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Both sides buried their own dead.

Then it started all over again
Then the fighting resumed, and the death toll continued to rise.

Oh those that were living just tried to survive
Those of us who survived were simply trying to stay alive.

In that mad world of blood, death and fire
In the madness of war, all we saw was blood, death, and fire.

And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
Against all odds, I managed to survive for ten weeks.

While around me the corpses piled higher
While the bodies of my fallen comrades piled up around me.

Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head
I was hit by a big Turkish shell that knocked me over.

And when I awoke in me hospital bed
When I regained consciousness in the hospital.

And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
When I saw the extent of my injuries, I wished I had died.

I never knew there was worse things than dying
I learned that surviving with such injuries was worse than dying in battle.

No more waltzing Matilda for me
I realized that my wandering days were over, and I could no longer carry my swag.

For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs
To carry a tent and its pegs, a man needs both legs, which I no longer had.

They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed
Officials transported the wounded, the crippled, the maimed back to Australia.

And they shipped us back home to Australia
I was transported back to my homeland, Australia.

Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
We, the wounded soldiers of the Suvla Bay battle, were proud of our service.

And when the ship pulled into Circular Quay
When the ship arrived in Circular Quay, Sydney.

I looked at the place where me legs used to be
After disembarking, I looked down at where my legs used to be.

And thank Christ there was no one there waiting for me
I was grateful that no one was there to see my condition or pity me.

To grieve and to mourn and to pity
To sorrow and express sympathy and compassion.

Oh nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared
As we disembarked the ship, no one cheered or showed any emotion.

Then they turned all their faces away
Instead, they turned their faces away from the sight of us.

Now every April I sit on my porch
In April, I sit on my porch.

And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch the annual parade that honors veterans.

I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
I see my old comrades who bravely fought beside me walk in the march with pride.

Renewing their dreams of past glories
Remembering and cherishing the victories they achieved.

Those weary old heroes of a forgotten war
The old veterans who are tired yet still remember a war that is now largely forgotten.

And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
The younger generations question the purpose of the veterans' march.

And I ask myself the same question
I too ask myself the same question.

And the old men still answer the call
Yet the old veterans continue to participate in the march.

But year after year, their numbers get fewer
However, as time passes, the number of veteran participants decreases.

Someday, no one will march there at all
Eventually, the day will come when no one will march anymore.

Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?
Who will join me in remembering the memories of war?

And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong
The ghosts of my fallen comrades may still be heard as we march by the billabong.