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And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda by John Williamson - Guitar Chords
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Version 1
[Intro]
A A/E x6
[Verse 1]
A D A
When I was a young man I carried a pack
A E A
I lived the free life of the rover.
A D A
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback,
A E A
I waltzed my Matilda all over.
[Pre-chorus 1]
E B D A
Then in 1915, my country said, "Son,
E B D A
there's no time for roamin', there's work to be done."
A D A F#m
And they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun,
A E A
And they sent me away to the war.
[Chorus 1]
A D A
And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
A D E
As the ship pulled away from the quay.
D A F#m
And amidst all the cheers, the flag waving, and tears,
A E A
We set off for Gallipoli.
[Verse 2]
A D A
How well I remember that terrible day,
A E A
When our blood stained the sand and the water;
A D A
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
A E A
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter.
[Pre-chorus 2]
E B D A
Johnny Turk, he was waitin', he primed himself well;
E B D A
He showered us with bullets, and he rained us with shells –
A D A F#m
And in five minutes flat, well he blew us to hell,
A E A
He nearly blew us right back to Australia.
[Chorus 2]
A D A
And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
A D E
As we stopped to bury our slain.
D A F#m
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs,
A E A
Then we started all over again.
[Verse 3]
A D A
So those who were left, just tried to survive
A E A
In a mad world of blood, death and fire.
A D A
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive,
A E A
As the corpses around me piled higher.
[Pre-chorus 3]
E B D A
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head,
E B D A
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
A D A F#m
I saw what it had done, and I wished I was dead –
A E A
Then I knew there were worse things than dying.
[Chorus 3]
A D A
And I'll go no more "Waltzing Matilda,"
A D E
All through the green bush far and free –
D A F#m
Cause to hunt and tent peg, a man needs both legs,
A E A
No more "Waltzing Matilda" for me.
[Verse 4]
A D A
They collected the crippled, the wounded, the maimed,
A E A
Shipped us all back to Australia.
A D A
The legless, the armless, the blind and insane,
A E A
The brave wounded heroes of Suvla.
[Pre-chorus 4]
E B D A
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay,
E B D A
I looked at the place where my legs used to be,
A D A F#m
And I thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me,
A E A
To mourn and to grieve and to pity.
[Chorus 4]
A D A
And the band played "Waltzing Matilda,"
A D E
As they carried us down the gangway.
D A F#m
Nobody cheered, they just stood and stared,
A E A
Then turned all their faces away.
[Verse 5]
A D A
And now every April, I sit on my porch
A E A
As I watch the parade pass before me.
A D A
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march,
A E A
Reviving old dreams and past glories.
[Pre-chorus 5]
E B D A
But the old men march slowly, bones stiff and sore
E B D A
Tired old men from a tired old war.
A D A F#m
And the young people ask "What are they marching for?"
A E A
And I ask myself the same question.
[Chorus 5]
A D A
And the band plays "Waltzing Matilda,"
A D E
As the old men still answer the call.
D A F#m
And year after year, more old men disappear
A E A
Soon none of them will march there at all.
We also have 5 songs by John Williamson
- And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
- Diamantina Drover
- Home Among The Gum Trees
- Raining On The Rock
- True Blue
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