Lyrics

[Verse 1] When I was a young man, I carried my pack 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 [Verse 2] Then in 1915, my country said, "Son It's time to stop rambling, there's work to be done" So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun And they sent me away to the war [Chorus] And the band played Waltzing Matilda As we sailed away from the quay And amidst all the tears, the shouts and the cheers We sailed off for Gallipoli [Verse 3] Now those who were living did their best to survivе In that mad world of death, blood and fire And for sevеn long weeks, I kept myself alive Though the corpses around me grew higher [Verse 4] Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tits 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 [Chorus 2] And no more I'll go waltzing Matilda To the green bushes so far and near For the hang tents and pegs, a man needs two legs No more waltzing Matilda for me [Verse 5] And now I'm an old man, I sit on my porch And I watch the parade pass before me I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Reliving the dreams of past glory [Verse 6] I see the old men, all tattered and torn The forgotten heroes of a forgotten war And the young people ask me, "What are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question [Chorus 3] And the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But year after year, their numbers get fewer Someday no one will march there at all [Outro] Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda Who'll go a-waltzing Matilda with me?