In March 2006, fifty years after the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem recorded their debut album, The Rising of the Moon in March 1956, the first full-length biography on the Clancy Brothers was written and published by Conor Murray. The book, titled The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem & Robbie O'Connell: The Men Behind the Sweaters chronicles the Clancy Brothers from the birth of Paddy Clancy in 1922 to early 2006. Simultaneously a two hour documentary on Liam Clancy was aired on Irish television, The Legend of Liam Clancy, as was a new TV concert special from Tommy Makem and his sons, the five-piece Irish folk song group The Makem & Spain Brothers.
Through 2005 to the present Liam has been joined once again by Kevin Evans of Evans and Doherty, both onstage and in the studio. Paul Grant and Kevin play nightly with Liam who continues to record, write and perform worldwide. His latest CD, "Yes, Those Were the Days," was a top selling record in late 2006. A full length feature film of his life is slated to begin filming this year culminating with a filmed concert in New York City. Liam will be appearing with Paul, Kevin, Danú and Karan Casey at the Tonder Festival in Denmark in August 2007.
In August 2007 Tommy Makem died after an extended fight with cancer, leaving Liam the only surviving member of the original group.
Liam Clancy died from pulmonary fibrosis on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. Bobby Clancy died of the same disease seven years previously and is buried in the new cemetery in Ring, Co. Waterford, where he spent the last number of years of his life, owning a successful recording studio. Clancy was survived by his wife, Kim, and their four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal, as well three previous children Sean, Andrew and Anya. His son Eben was in the process of coming over from the United Kingdom and he had had a chat with his son Donal who was in the middle of a tour of California. The other three sat beside him as he died. Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disease before this was possible.
The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable". Radio disc jockeys in New York paid tribute to the man who, according to the New York Daily News, "played a major role in defining how Americans heard Irish popular music over the last half century", with one DJ saying The Clancy Brothers had "broke down a wall that was long overdue". Christy Moore, on a prescheduled appearance on The Late Late Show aired live on the night of Liam's death, said, "I would have been listening to Radio Luxembourg and rock 'n' roll as a young fellow and then I got to hear of the Clancy brothers, when I was 16 I came to Dublin to hear them in a concert. It was about 1962, I think it was the Olympia, it was the most exciting concert I had ever attended. It was Irish, it was rock 'n' roll, it was funky and it was even sexy".
Clancy's lunchtime funeral at St Mary's Church in Dungarvan on 7 December was attended by hundreds of mourners, including both the Aides de Camp of the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Minister Cullen and various musicians and artists. He was later buried in Ring.
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And i lived the free life of a rover
From the murray′s green basin
To the dusty outback,
I waltzed my matilda all over.
Then in nineteen fifteen, my country said son
It's time to stop rambling,
There′s work to be done.
And they gave me a gun,
And they sent me away to the war.
And the band played waltzing matilda,
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the cheers,
Flagwaving and tears
We sailed off for gallipoli
When i remember that terrible day
When our blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called suvla bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
Johnny turk he was ready
Oh he primed himself well.
He rained us with bullets,
And he showered us with shells.
And in five minutes flat,
We were all blown to hell
Nearly blew us right back to australia.
And the band played waltzing matilda,
As we stopped to bury our slain.
And we buried ours and the turks buried theirs,
And it started all over again.
Those who were living,
Just tried to survive
In that mad world of blood, death and fire
And for seven long weeks,
I kept myself alive,
While around us the corpses piled higher
Then a big turkish shell,
Knocked me ass over head
And when i awoke in my hospital bed,
And saw what it had done,
Christ i wished i was dead.
Never knew there were worse things than dying.
And no more i'll go waltzing matilda,
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs
A man needs both legs
No more waltzing matilda for me.
So they collected the wounded
The crippled, the maimed,
And they shipped us back home to australia.
The armless, the legless
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 no one there 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 and stared,
And turned all their faces away
And now every april,
I sit on my porch,
And i watch the parades pass before me.
I see my old comrades,
How proudly they march.
Renewing their dreams of past glories
I see the old men, all tired stiff and sore
The weary old heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask,
What are they marching for?
And i ask myself the same question.
And the band plays waltzing matilda
And the old men still answer the call
But year after year,
Their numbers grow fewer
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 you pass by that billabong
Who′ll come a′waltzin' matilda with me?
The Band Played Waltzing Matilda is a poignant and tragic song written by Eric Bogle, and sung by famous Irish folk singers Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy. The lyrics are a vivid retelling of a soldier's experience at the Gallipoli campaign during World War I. It tells the story of a young Australian man who left his life as a "rover," waltzing his beloved matilda (a slang term referring to a backpack) across his homeland before being drafted into war. The song describes the horrors and violence of the battlefield, where he and his comrades were slaughtered like "lambs at the slaughter." Throughout the song, the soldier's disillusionment with war and the lack of recognition and respect for those who served is palpable.
One of the most powerful moments in the song is when the soldier, now an amputee, returns home to find no one waiting for him, no one to grieve for him, and no one to understand what he and his fellow soldiers went through. The haunting refrain of "And the band played waltzing matilda" runs through the song like a dirge, a haunting memory of a time that should never be forgotten. The song delivers a forceful message about the futility of war and the toll it takes on those who serve.
Line by Line Meaning
When i was a young man, i carried my pack.
As a young man, I used to travel throughout the vast Australian countryside carrying a backpack with me.
And i lived the free life of a rover
I used to enjoy the life of a free and nomadic wanderer roaming around Australia.
From the murray′s green basin
I traveled from the Murray River's green basin region in the south-east of Australia.
To the dusty outback,
To the arid and uninhabited regions in the interior of Australia known as the Outback.
I waltzed my matilda all over.
I loved walking around with my swag, which Australians call Matilda.
Then in nineteen fifteen, my country said son
In 1915, I was called upon by my country as a responsibility.
It's time to stop rambling,
I was told to stop traveling and start working for my country.
There′s work to be done.
I was informed that there was important work to do.
So they gave me a tin hat,
I was provided with a metal combat helmet in the military.
And they gave me a gun,
I was given a gun, a weapon I had never used before.
And they sent me away to the war.
I was shipped overseas for the war.
And the band played waltzing matilda,
A band played the tune of waltzing matilda as I and other soldiers sailed from the dock.
As we sailed away from the quay
We soldiers were leaving from the harbor.
And amidst all the cheers,
Our departure was celebrated with cheering crowds.
Flagwaving and tears
Crowds were waving flags to show their patriotism. And, there were tears streaming down loved ones' faces.
We sailed off for gallipoli
Our ship was heading towards Gallipoli, Turkey, where fighting raged on for eight months.
When i remember that terrible day
I can never forget the day when fighting was the worst.
When our blood stained the sand and the water
The image of our own blood staining the water and sand still haunts me.
And how in that hell that they called suvla bay
The warzone in Suvla Bay was referred to as Hell for its intense conflict and loss of life.
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
We were killed like lambs in a slaughterhouse, unable to defend ourselves.
Johnny turk he was ready
Turkish soldiers, nicknamed Johnny Turk, were ready and armed.
Oh he primed himself well.
He successfully prepared himself and his weaponry for the fight.
He rained us with bullets,
He shot deadly bullets towards our soldiers.
And he showered us with shells.
The Turkish artillery launched an attack on us.
And in five minutes flat,
We stood no chance against the enemy's bombardment and attack.
We were all blown to hell
We were mutilated and destroyed to the point of deep depression and despair.
Nearly blew us right back to australia.
The attacks almost sent us tumbling back to our homeland in Australia.
And the band played waltzing matilda,
As we took a break to bury the dead, the tune of waltzing matilda played in memory of our fellow soldiers.
As we stopped to bury our slain.
The fighting paused so that we could bury our fallen comrades.
And we buried ours and the turks buried theirs,
Both Australians and Turks paid respect to their troops who perished and buried their own respectively.
And it started all over again.
The fight resumed after both sides buried the dead.
Those who were living,
We, the surviving soldiers, attempted to live in the middle of the warzone's massacre.
Just tried to survive
We tried our best in any way possible to stay alive.
In that mad world of blood, death, and fire
We were forced to live in a terrible world of barbaric blood, death, and fire.
And for seven long weeks,
For 7 long weeks, I struggled hard to stay alive.
I kept myself alive,
I survived the war, but only barely.
While around us the corpses piled higher
I survived but was surrounded with dying and dead soldiers.
Then a big turkish shell,
One big Turkish shell almost killed me.
Knocked me ass over head
I was knocked off my feet by the force of the explosion.
And when i awoke in my hospital bed,
When I woke up, I was lying on a hospital bed.
And saw what it had done,
I saw that my injury was very severe.
Christ i wished i was dead.
Being injured like this made me wish for my own death.
Never knew there were worse things than dying.
I never imagined that anything could be worse than dying, that was until I was wounded.
And no more i'll go waltzing matilda,
I cannot wander anymore because of my injury.
All around the green bush far and near
I cannot walk around in the bush anymore.
For to hump tent and pegs
Carrying a tent and pegs would become impossible for me.
A man needs both legs
To manage a tent and pegs, having both legs is crucial.
No more waltzing matilda for me.
I will never be able to wander around with my Matilda swag again.
So they collected the wounded
The people collected soldiers who were hurt.
The crippled, the maimed,
The sick, the handicapped soldiers were all gathered.
And they shipped us back home to australia.
We were brought back to our country on a ship.
The armless, the legless
The ones without their arms and legs were also brought back home.
The blind the insane.
The blind and those who had lost their sanity were also sent back home.
Those proud wounded heroes of suvla
These survivors were seen as wounded proud warriors of Suvla Bay.
And as our ship pulled into circular quay
As we arrived at the harbor, 'Circular Quay,'
I looked at the place where me legs used to be.
I saw the spot where I used to have my legs.
And thanked christ there was no one there waiting for me
I did not see anyone waiting for me to arrive nor grieve my injury.
To grieve and to mourn and to pity.
They would feel sorry for my lost limbs.
And the band played waltzing matilda,
The band once again played the tune of waltzing matilda.
As they carried us down the gangway.
As I was taken to the shore from the ship along with other wounded soldiers.
But nobody cheered,
The crowd did not cheer us as usual.
They just stood and stared,
They all only gazed at us with solemn faces.
And turned all their faces away
The people turned their heads and looked at something else away from the soldiers.
And now every april,
Every month of April,
I sit on my porch,
I rest outside my place on the porch deck.
And i watch the parades pass before me.
As I watch the passing parades.
I see my old comrades,
I spot my old war buddies.
How proudly they march.
They all hop in step with pride when they march.
Renewing their dreams of past glories
These parades help them remember and renew the glorious moments of the past.
I see the old men, all tired stiff and sore
I peek at the elderly, all moving slowly and with aches and pains.
The weary old heroes of a forgotten war
I witness my fellow war heroes, old and tired, from a war forgotten over the years.
And the young people ask,
The young ones inquire,
What are they marching for?
They ask about the purpose of their marching.
And i ask myself the same question.
I wonder the same thing to myself.
And the band plays waltzing matilda
The band plays the tune waltzing matilda during the parade in memory.
And the old men still answer the call
The elderly still honored the obligation for their country.
But year after year,
Nonetheless, as each year passes,
Their numbers grow fewer
The number of elderly veterans is on the decline.
Someday no one will march there at all.
At some point, there will be no more parades of the war veterans.
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda.
Who'll come a waltzing matilda with me?
Who would join me in wandering around the countryside with my swag?
And their ghosts may be heard
The ghosts of the soldiers who fought may still reverberate
As you pass by that billabong
As you pass by that billabong.
Who′ll come a′waltzin' matilda with me?
Who would join me in waltzing matilda around Australia?
Writer(s): Eric Bogle
Contributed by Nora H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@liamobeagain243
My abiding memory is of my mam singing this song out the back of my uncle's house under her beloved Slieve Blooms on a fine summer's day. Noise feel to silence and she sang the whole thing perfectly. Justice for the people.
@patriciathewisher2315
Play this every time I visit my auntie Matilda. We both cry but what the heck.
@williamandersen6079
My wife was from Sydney, Australia and her father was in the war. This is a powerful heart wrenching song but, beautiful at the same time.
@jonathanmurphy2212
love this forever thanks liam Clancy
@andrewp8284
I'm not Australian, but damn, this brought me to tears.
@markmawhinney2507
Brilliant song what a voice really feel the deep sadness sad sad sad !!!!!!
@partisan72
extremely sad and moving song.
@malcolmboyce8197
Fine version of a great song about a terrible war...not that any war is anything other than terrible
@feathereddoggo9250
The boy I love wants to join the army whenever he says it I can't help but imagine this as his fate and cry
@Joh2n
It's five years later, did you marry, did he become a soldier?