作词 : Eric Bogle
作曲 : Eric Bogle
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murray's spring basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen-fifteen my country said, "Son,
It's time to stop rambling, 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
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears
The shouts and the cheers
We sailed off for Gallipoli
Now those who were living did their best to survive
In that mad world of death, blood and fire
And for seven long weeks I kept myself alive
Though the corpses around me grew higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse-over-tit
And when I awoke in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, Christ, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
And no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
To the green bushes so far and near
For to hang tent and pegs
A man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me
And now I'm an old man, I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving the dreams of past glory
I see the old men, all tattered and torn
The forgotten heroes of a forgotten war
And the young people ask me
"What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men still answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Someday no one will march there at all
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll go a-waltzing Matilda with me?