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 nineteen fifteen, my country said, "Son

It's time to stop ramblin' for there's work to be done"

So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun

And they sent me away to the war



Chorus:

And the band played "Waltzing Matilda"

As the ship sailed away from the quay

Amid all the tears, the flag-waving and cheers

We sailed off for Gallipoli



How well I remember that terrible day

When our blood stained the sand and the water

And how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay

We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter

Johnny Turk was ready, Lord he primed himself well

He rained us with bullets and he showered us with shells

In five minutes flat, we were all blown to hell

Nearly blew us back home to Australia



Chorus:

And the band played "Waltzing Matilda"

As we stopped to bury our slain

We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs

Then it started all over again



And those who were living just tried to survive

In that mad world of blood, death and, fire

For ten weary weeks, I kept myself alive

While around me the corpses piled higher

Then a big Turkish shell knocked me ass over head

And when I awoke, in a hospital bed

And saw what it had done, I wished I were dead

I never knew there were worse things than dying



Chorus:

For no more I'll go waltzing matilda

All around the green bush far and near

But to hunt and to pace, a man needs both legs

No more waltzing matilda for me



They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed

And they shipped us