And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

[Intro ]
A A 

each verse & Chorus 
A D A F#m 
A E7 A A 
A D A F#m 
A E7 A A 

E E D A 
E E D A 
A D A F#m 
A E7 A A 

A D A A 
A D E7 E7 
D Bm A D 
A E7 A A 

Intro  A   A   

       Now when 
verse 1 
A       D           A          F#m 
I was a young man I carried me pack 
      A              E7        A       A 
And I lived the free life of a rover 
         A              D            A         F#m 
From the Murray's green basin to the dusty Out-back 
  A            E7        A       A 
I waltzed my Matilda all over 

        E            E       D             A 
Then in nineteen fif-teen me country said, Son 
     E            E                D       A 
It's time to stop rambling there's work to be done 
        A         D                 A         F#m 
So they gave me a tin hat, and they gave me a gun 
         A       E7          A     A 
And they sent me away to the war 

Chorus 1 
        A           D           A     A 
And the band played Waltzing Ma-tilda 
         A           E7            A    A  
When the ship pulled away from the quay 
      D           Bm          A          D 
And a-mid all the tears, flag-waving and cheers 
   A              E7        A   A 
We sailed off for Ga-llip-o-li 

verse 2 
    A        D           A        F#m 
And how I re-member that terrible day 
         A                 E7           A       A 
When our blood stained the sand and the water 
    A           D              A          F#m 
And how in that hell that they call Suvla Bay 
        A              E7           A          A 
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter 

       E           E           D              A 
Johnny Turk he was ready, he'd primed himself well 
   E              E               D                A 
He rained us with bullets, and he showered us with shells 
       A            D            A            F#m 
And in five minutes flat we were all blown to hell 
       A            E7         A       A 
Nearly blew us back home to Au-stralia 

Chorus 2 
        A           D           A     A 
And the band played Waltzing Ma-tilda 
        A          E7       A    A  
When we stopped to bury our slain 
D         Bm            A            D 
We buried ours, and the Turks buried theirs 
        A           E7     A   A 
Then we started all over a-gain 

verse 3 
    A               D          A            F#m 
And those that were left, just tried to sur-vive 
        A            E7               A       A 
In that mad world of blood, death and fire 
        A         D            A        F#m 
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself a-live 
        A            E7            A       A 
While a-round me the corpses piled higher 

       E           E                D         A 
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over head 
    E        E          D        A 
And when I a-woke in me hospital bed 
    A               D             A            F#m 
And saw what it had done, well, I wished I was dead 
      A              E7                A       A 
Never knew there was worse things than dying 

Chorus 3 
      A            D           A     A 
So no more I'll go Waltzing Ma-tilda 
      A               E7           A    A  
All a-round the green bush far and near 
       D             Bm     A              D 
For to hump tent and pegs a man needs both legs 
        A           E7        A   A 
No more Waltzing Ma-tilda for me 

verse 4 
        A            D            A             F#m 
So they gathered the wounded, the crippled, the maimed 
         A               E7         A       A 
And they shipped us back home to Au-stralia 
    A            D            A             F#m 
The armless, the legless, the blind, the in-sane 
      A             E7        A       A 
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla 

    E             E           D        A 
And when the ship pulled into Circular Quay 
  E             E              D            A 
I looked at the place where me legs used to be 
            A                D            A           F#m 
And thanked Christ there was no one there waiting for me 
   A             E7           A       A 
To grieve and to mourn and to pity 

Chorus 4 
        A           D           A     A 
And the band played Waltzing Ma-tilda 
          A          E7       A       A  
When they carried us down the gangway 
    D      Bm                 A               D 
But nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared 
          A                E7      A   A 
Then they turned all their faces a-way 

Verse 5 
   A         D       A         F#m 
So now every April I sit on my porch 
      A             E7          A       A 
And I watch the par-ade pass be-fore me 
  A          D            A            F#m 
I see my old comrades how proudly they march 
   A          E7             A       A 
Re-newing old dreams of past glory 

  E           E        D                A 
I see the old men, all tired, stiff and sore 
    E         E             D         A 
The weary old heroes from a forgotten war 
        A            D              A             F#m 
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?" 
    A        E7            A       A 
And I ask my-self the same question 

Chorus 5 
        A          D           A     A 
And the band plays Waltzing Ma-tilda 
        A             E7         A    A  
And the old men still answer the call 
    D          Bm         A           D 
But year after year their numbers get fewer 
        A           E7             A   A 
Someday no one will march there at all 


Verse 6 is strumming - 4/4 timing 

A                 D 
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda 
A             D           A          E7 
Who'll come a-Waltzing Ma-tilda with me? 
E7        A             E7       F#m               D 
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the Billabong 
A             Dsus2       E7         A 
Who'll come a-Waltzing Ma-tilda with me?