The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Chords by June Tabor

_ When I was a [G] young man I carried me pack and I lived the free life of the rover
_ _ From the Murray's green basin to the dusty outback I waltzed my Matilda all over
_ Then in _ _ [C#m] 1915 the [G] country said son _ it's time to stop rambling there's work to be done _
And they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun [A] and they sent [D] me away to the war
_ _ And the band played Walsey and Matilda _ _ as our ship pulled away from the quay
_ _ Amidst all the cheers the flag waving and tears [N] we sailed off to _ Gallipoli _ _
_ _ How well I remember that terrible day how blood stained the sand and the water
_ _ And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay we were [C#] butchered like [B] lambs at the slaughter _
_ Johnny Turkey was ready he primed himself well he chased us with bullets he rained us with shell
And in five minutes flat [D] he'd blown us all to hell nearly blew us right back to Australia
But _ the band played Walsey and Matilda _ as we stopped to bury our slain _ _
We buried ours and the Turks buried [Gm] theirs then [A] we started [G] all over _ again
_ [Gm] _ _ Now those that were left well we tried to [A] survive in a mad world of [G] blood death and fire _
_ And for 10 weary weeks I kept myself _ alive though around me the corpses piled [F#] higher
_ Then a big Turkish shell [N] knocked me ass over head and when I woke up in my hospital bed
_ I saw what it had done and I wished I was dead [A] never knew there was worse things [G] than dying _ _
For I'll go no more Walsey Matilda _ _ [D] all around the green bush far and near
_ That hump tent and pegs a man needs both legs no more Walsey Matilda for me _
So _ they collected the cripples the wounded and _ maimed and they shipped us back home to Australia _
_ The legless the harmless the blind and insane those proud wounded heroes of Suvla _
And as our ship pulled into Sir Kewlarkie I looked at the place where me legs used to be
And thank Christ there was no one there waiting for me to grieve and to mourn and to pity
_ _ _ And the band played Walsey Matilda [F] _ _ as they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered they [G] just stood and stared eating all their faces away
_ _ _ _ And now every April I sit on my porch and I watch the parade pass before me
_ And I watch my old comrades how proudly they march _ renewing old [N] dreams in past glory _ _
And the old men [D] march slowly all bent stiff and sore the tired old men from a forgotten war
And the young people ask what are they marching for and I ask [G] myself the same question
_ _ [Cm] And the band [Gm] plays Walsey Matilda _ _ [G] and the old man answer the call _ _
But year by year the [G] numbers get fewer _ [A] someday no one will march [D#m]
there at all
_ [G] _ _ _ _
Walsey Matilda, _ _ _ Walsey Matilda, _ _ _ oh come Walsey Matilda [Gm] with me _
And [Am] I dance to sweetly as I [F#m] pass by the [Fm] billabong
[Gm] Oh _ come _ Walsey [G] Matilda _ _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [N] _