The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

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

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, 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 amidst all the tears, flag-waving and cheers

We sailed off for Gallipoli

Well, I remember that terrible day

When our blood stained the sand on the water

And how in the hell that they called Suvla Bay

We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter

Johnny Turkey was ready, oh, he'd 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 back home to Australia

And the band played Waltzing Matilda

When we stopped to bury our slain

We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs

Then it started all over again

So now every April, I sit on my porch

And I watch the parade pass before me

I see my old comrades, how proudly they march

Renewing old dreams of past glory

I see the old men, oh, tired, stiff and sore

The weary old heroes from a forgotten war

The young people ask, "What are they marching for?"

And I ask myself the same question

And the band played Waltzing Matilda

And the old men still answer the call

But year after year, the numbers get fewer

Someday no one will march there at all

Yes, the band plays Waltzing Matilda

And the old men still answer the call

But year after year, the numbers get fewer

Someday no one will march there at all

And the ghosts may go as marked by the bell

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?