But the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But as year follows year, more old men disappear Someday no one will march there at all
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me? And their ghosts may be heard As they march by that billabong Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
The song ends very emotionally
by incorporating and changing the words of the traditional Australian
folk song ‘Waltzing Matilda’, which is mentioned in the refrain. This
technique expresses the sadness of all the lost and shattered lives of the young men who fought at Gallipoli.
In an interview on the song, Eric Bogle said he wrote it because he wanted to show that war is not all about medals and brass bands. He was inspired by the Vietnam War but decided to set his song in Gallipoli as ‘it didn’t matter where the song was situated because wars are all the same pointless exercise’.
1. This man’s life is divided in two halves – before and after Gallipoli. How did this experience change his life?
2. What phrases do you think best describe his experience on the battlefi eld?
3. As an old man, how does he feel about the war?
4. What impact, if any, did the refrain have on you as you read through the lyrics to the end? Do you think it was an eff ective device to use? Explain your answer.
