Cyrus Cassidy #45437 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Now when I was a 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 Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over Then in 1915, my country said "son It's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done" So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun And they marched me away to the war And the band played Waltzing Matilda As the ship pulled away from the quay And amidst all the cheers, the flag-waving and tears We sailed off for Gallipoli And how well I remember that terrible day How our blood stained the sand and the water And of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter Johnny Turk, he was waiting, he'd primed himself well He showered us with bullets and he rained us with shell And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell Nearly blew us right back to Australia But the band played Waltzing Matilda When we stopped to bury our slain We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs Then we started all over again And those that were left, well we tried to survive In that mad world of blood, death and fire And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive Though around me the corpses piled higher Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head And when I woke up in me hospital bed And saw what it had done, andl I wished I was dead Never knew there was worse things than dyin' And I'll go no more waltzing Matilda All through the green bush far and free To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs No more waltzing Matilda for me They collected the crippled, the wounded, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where me legs used to be And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me To mourn and to grieve and to pity But the band played Waltzing Matilda As they carried us down the gangway But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared Then they turned all their faces away And so now every April, I sit on me porch And I watch the parade pass before me And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Reviving old dreams of past glories But the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore They're tired old men from a tired old war And the young people ask, "what are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question But the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But year after year, more old men disappear Someday no one will march there at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 "Where are yer legs that used to run, when first you went to carry a gun? Ah, Johnny we hardly knew ya! "Yer an eyeless, boneless, chickenless egg, An' you'll have to be put with a bowl to beg! Ah, Johnny we hardly knew ya!" To the tune of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again, Hurrah, Hurrah!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Another one in the same vein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 8 hours ago, Cyrus Cassidy #45437 said: Now when I was a 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 Well, I waltzed my Matilda all over Then in 1915, my country said "son It's time you stopped rambling, there's work to be done" So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun And they marched me away to the war And the band played Waltzing Matilda As the ship pulled away from the quay And amidst all the cheers, the flag-waving and tears We sailed off for Gallipoli And how well I remember that terrible day How our blood stained the sand and the water And of how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter Johnny Turk, he was waiting, he'd primed himself well He showered us with bullets and he rained us with shell And in five minutes flat, he'd blown us all to hell Nearly blew us right back to Australia But the band played Waltzing Matilda When we stopped to bury our slain We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs Then we started all over again And those that were left, well we tried to survive In that mad world of blood, death and fire And for ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive Though around me the corpses piled higher Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head And when I woke up in me hospital bed And saw what it had done, andl I wished I was dead Never knew there was worse things than dyin' And I'll go no more waltzing Matilda All through the green bush far and free To hump tent and pegs, a man needs both legs No more waltzing Matilda for me They collected the crippled, the wounded, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where me legs used to be And thanked Christ there was nobody waiting for me To mourn and to grieve and to pity But the band played Waltzing Matilda As they carried us down the gangway But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared Then they turned all their faces away And so now every April, I sit on me porch And I watch the parade pass before me And I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Reviving old dreams of past glories But the old men march slowly, old bones stiff and sore They're tired old men from a tired old war And the young people ask, "what are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question But the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But year after year, more old men disappear Someday no one will march there at all Its been several decades since I was involved but this year it hurts more than before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Look up Terry Kellys and A Pittance Of Time. The first time I heard this I was in a mall in California and I found myself standing alone with tears running down my face. An old man came over and said, "It's alright son. I've been there, too." I still get misty hearing some of these old songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamus McGillicuddy Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Hard to compare this sort of thing but the Irish song “Salonika” is just as sad. Seamus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 8 hours ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: Look up Terry Kellys and A Pittance Of Time. The first time I heard this I was in a mall in California and I found myself standing alone with tears running down my face. An old man came over and said, "It's alright son. I've been there, too." I still get misty hearing some of these old songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 Thanks, Joe. That still gets me every time I hear it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 12 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: Thanks, Joe. That still gets me every time I hear it. Ditto. While it was written about an incident that happened on Armistice Day, it is still appropriate for our Memorial Day. The back story:On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect. Terrys anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time. Terry later recorded A Pittance of Time and included it on his full-length music CD, The Power of the Dream. Thank You to the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Branch #10 and Woodbine Height Branch #2 for their participation in the Video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 13 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said: Ditto. While it was written about an incident that happened on Armistice Day, it is still appropriate for our Memorial Day. The back story:On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us. Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect. Terrys anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time. Terry later recorded A Pittance of Time and included it on his full-length music CD, The Power of the Dream. Thank You to the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Branch #10 and Woodbine Height Branch #2 for their participation in the Video. It's still Armistice Day at your house, too? Yeah, I know, but it is a song with patriotic meaning and it still makes me choke up and get misty-eyed when I hear it. Too bad Kelly couldn't see those around him and can't see what it means to so many. He's been blind since childhood, but he's wiser than many who see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 57 minutes ago, Forty Rod SASS 3935 said: It's still Armistice Day at your house, too? All the members of the VFW at the Post my dad went to called it that, into the early '70s at least. That is what I grew up with, so it sticks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Crimes Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 Here is another classic Aussie song, I was only 19 by Red Gum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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