And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Chords by The Houghton Weavers

[Bb] _ _ _ _ _ _ When I [Eb] was a young man [Bb] I carried [Gm] me pack [Bb] and lived [F] the free life of [Bb] the rover
From the [Eb] Murray's green basin [Bb] to the [Gm] dusty outback.
[Bb] I was my
[F] Matilda [Bb] all over [F] then in
1915 [Eb] my [Bb] country said son
[F] It's time to stop rambling.
[Eb] There's [Bb] work to be done
So they gave me [Eb] a tin [Bb] hat and gave me [Gm] a gun
And [Bb] sent me [F] away [Bb] to the war and the band [Eb] played Waltzing [Bb] Matilda
As our ship [Eb] pulled [C] away [F] from the key
[Eb]
Amidst all the [Bb] tears like waving [Eb] in tears
[Bb] We sailed up [F] the [Bb] Gallipoli
_ How well [Eb] I remember
[Bb] that [Gm] terrible day
[Bb] How the blood [F] stained the sand [Bb] and the water
And how [Eb] in the hell that [Bb] they called [Gm] Suvla Bay
We [Bb] were [F] butchered like lambs at [Bb] the slaughter
_ [F] Johnny Turk he was [Eb] ready.
He climbed [Bb] himself well
[F] He rained us with bullets [Eb] and showered [Bb] us with shells and in [Eb] five minutes flat
[Bb] We were all blown [Gm] to hell
[Bb] Nearly blew us [F] back home [Bb] to Australia and the band [Eb] played Waltzing [Bb] Matilda
As we stopped to [Eb] bury [F] our slain
[Eb]
We buried ours [Bb] and the Turks [Eb] buried theirs
[Bb] And it started [F] all [Bb] over again
Now those [Eb] that were living [Bb] just try [Gm] to survive [Bb] in that mad world [F] of blood
[Bb] death and fire and
Pretend [Eb] weary weeks I [Bb] kept [Gm] myself alive
[Bb] Whilst along [F] me the corpses [Bb] piled higher
[F] Then a big Turkish shell [Eb] knocked me arse [Bb] overhead
[F] And when I awoke [Cm] in my [Bb] hospital bed
Saw [Eb] what it had done.
[Bb] I wished I [Gm] were dead
[Bb] Never knew there [F] were worse [Bb] things than dying
For I know [Eb] no more Waltzing [Bb] Matilda _
All along [Eb] the green [Cm] bush [F] far and near
[Eb] What your home tent and [Bb] pest a man needs [Eb] no flesh
[Bb] No more Waltzing [F] [Bb] Matilda for me
They collected [Eb] the crippled [Bb] the wounded [Gm] and maimed [Bb] and shipped [F] us back home to
[Bb] Australia
The armless [Eb] the [Bb] legless the blind [Gm] and insane
[Bb] Those proud [F] wounded heroes [Bb] of Sula
And [F]
as our ship pulled [Eb] it into circular [Bb] key
I [F] looked at the place where [Eb] my legs [Bb] used to be and thank [Eb] Christ
There was no one [Bb] there waiting for [Gm] me
[Bb] To [F] grieve to mourn [Bb] and to pity
and the band [Eb] played Waltzing [Bb] Matilda
as they carried [Eb] us down the [F] gangway
[Eb] But nobody cheered [Bb] they just stood there [Eb] and stared
[Bb] Then turned all [F] the faces [Bb] away Now
[Eb] Every April [Bb] I sit [Gm] on my porch [Bb] and [F] watch the parade [Bb] pass before me I
See [Eb] my old comrades [Bb] up proudly [Gm] they march
[Bb] [F] Renewing old dreams of [Bb] past glory
[F] And the old men march [Eb] slowly all dense stiff [Bb] and sore
[F] Tired old heroes [Eb] from a forgotten [Bb] war and the young people [Eb] ask
[Bb] What are [F] they [Gm] marching for?
[Bb] And I asked [F] myself [Bb] the same question
And the band [Eb] plays Waltzing [Gm] Matilda
[Bb] _
And the old men [Eb] still [F] answer the call
[Eb] But year after year [Bb] the numbers [Eb] get fewer
[Bb] Someday no [F] one will watch [Bb] their fall _ _ _
Waltzing Matilda [Eb] _ [F] Waltzing [Bb] Matilda
Who [Gm] come a-waltzing [Cm] Matilda [F] with me
[Bb] And their ghosts [F] may be aired [Bb] as you walk by [Eb] the billabong
[Bb] Come [Gm] a-waltzing [F] _ Matilda with [Bb] me _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _