And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
When I was a young man I carried a pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the green Murray basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my matilda all over
Then in 1915, my country said, "Son,
It's time to stop roving; there's work to be done."
So they gave me a tin hat; they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played "Waltzing Matilda"
As the ship pulled away from the quay
And amid all the cheers, flag-waving and tears
We set sail for Gallipols
How well 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 for the slaughter
Johnny Turk, he was waiting; he!d primed himself well
He showered us with shot and he rained us with she!!
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us to Hell
Near blew us clear back to Australia
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Eric Bogle, John McDermott, and Bobby Edwards; Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency, LTD. (CMRRA); Copyright Control/ASCAP