ANZAC's - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

[Hughie]

Listen to the words of this now legendary anti-war song, written and performed by fellow Scottish expatriate, Eric Bogle. To my mind the best anti-war song ever written. ANZAC day falls on the 25th of April each year and is commemorated in both Australia and New Zealand.

[bonzo]

This verse to me is the one that gets me, now there are none left at all.

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving the or their dreams of past glory
i see the old men, all twisted 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
Some day no one will march there at all

[morag]

This verse to me is the one that gets me, now there are none left at all.

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
I see my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving the or their dreams of past glory
i see the old men, all twisted 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
Some day no one will march there at all

Well there goes my 'rise and be happy' day!

[5siamese7]

I bet the kangeroos were pleased now THEY know what its like to be shot at. There was no hope for that campaign. They lost a lot of their heavy guns when the supporting battleships were sunk by mines. They didn't have enough men anyway and it was a terrible waste of young men on both sides. Another one of Churchills blunders. Turkey was no threat to Austalia I wish it had never happened.

[morag]

Can't recall the name of the man who did a cracking rendition of this song.

[bonzo]

Can't recall the name of the man who did a cracking rendition of this song.

It's been covered many times morag, any of these ring a bell?

The first release of the song was by John Currie on the Australian label M7 in 1975.[1] Cover versions of the song have been performed and recorded by Katie Noonan (Flametree Festival Byron Bay 08), The Irish Rovers, Joan Baez, Priscilla Herdman, Liam Clancy, Martin Curtis, The Dubliners, Ronnie Drew, Danny Doyle, Slim Dusty, The Fenians, Mike Harding, Jolie Holland, Seamus Kennedy, Johnny Logan and Friends, John Allan Cameron, Houghmagandie, John McDermott, Midnight Oil, Christy Moore, The Pogues, The Skids, June Tabor, John Williamson, The Bushwackers and the bluegrass band Kruger Brothers, Redgum, John Schumann, Tickawinda (on the album Rosemary Lane), Orthodox Celts, The Houghton Weavers, and Bread and Roses. Audrey Auld-Mezera (on the album Billabong Song), Garrison Keillor has also performed it on his radio show A Prairie Home Companion when ANZAC Day (25 April) has fallen on a Saturday and has also performed his own adaptation titled And the Band Played The Star-Spangled Banner. Phil Coulter released a cover on his 2007 album Timeless Tranquility - 20 Year Celebration.

[5siamese7]

Listen to the words of this now legendary anti-war song, written and performed by fellow Scottish expatriate, Eric Bogle. To my mind the best anti-war song ever written. ANZAC day falls on the 25th of April each year and is commemorated in both Australia and New Zealand.

He should get his fact right . It was the British that landed at Sulva bay and it was unopposed. At the same time the Aussies were being slaughtered at Lone Pine and the Neck. All those young guys had everything taken from them. What they had and everything they might have had and the same goes for the Turkish young men too.

[morag]

Think it was Eric Bogle.

[5siamese7]

A few years ago I was talking to a couple of Aussie soldiers at the Canberra museum and they had feathers in their hats so I guess they were from the Light Horse made famous in the film Gallipoli . I said that we don't want anymore wars and they disagreed stating that there were too many people in the world. They were both wearing revolvers so I just moved on. A pair of nitwits. Made even sadder in that Australia lost more men per head of population in the first world war than any other allied nation.

[5siamese7]

What else can you say about this song? "They gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun." Tin hats were not issued until 1916.

[bonzo]

It's an anti war song not a historical document.
I was reading yesterday about remains of a first world war sailor had been identified. He died in the battle of gavrelle in 1917, the guy was from Aberdeen. He was from the royal naval division (I had never heard of this division) an infantry division made up of surplus sailors. They also fought at Gallipoli. Learning every day.

[morag]

Whatever the history or what..this song has me emotional every time, I'm a bit that way with sad stuff.Equally with too cute stuff!