How to Play The Band Played Waltzing Matilda on Guitar?

Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda can be played in the key of [C] using the C, G7, F, Am chords. For C, To play C, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, G, high E ring open, mute A, D. For G7, To play G7, press fret 1 on the low E string with finger 2, let D, G, B ring open, mute A, high E. For F, To play F, barre fret 1 from the B string to the high E string with finger 1, press fret 1 on the low E string with finger 4, let A ring open, mute D, G. For Am, To play Am, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, A, high E ring open, mute D, G. Barre: Use your index finger to press multiple strings on the same fret, keeping your finger flat. You can play The Band Played Waltzing Matilda with the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ strumming pattern.

Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda Chords

Chord reference C, G7, F, Am

Rhythm tips ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

[C] [G7] [C] [C]Now, when [C]I was a young [F]man I [C]carried me [Am]pack, and I [C]lived the free [G7]life of the [C]rover. From the Murray’s green [F]basin to the [C]dusty out[Am]back, well, I [C]waltzed my Ma[G7]tilda all [C]over. Then in [G7]nineteen fifteen my [F]country said, “[C]Son, it’s [G7]time you stop rambling, there’s [F]work to be [C]done” So they gave me a [F]tin hat and they [C]gave me a [Am]gun and they [C]marched me a[G7]way to the [C]war. [F] [C] And the [C]band played [F]Waltzing Ma[C]tilda, as the ship pulled a[F]way from the [G]quay. And [F]‘midst all the cheers, the flag [C]waving and [F]tears, we [C]sailed off for [G7]Gallipo[C]li. [G7] [C]

And how [C]well I re[F]member that [C]terrible [Am]day, how our [C]blood stained the [G7]sand and the [C]water. And how in that [F]hell that they [C]called Suvla [Am]Bay, we were [C]butchered like [G7]lambs at the [C]slaughter. Johnny [G7]Turk, he was ready, he’d [F]primed himself [C]well, he [G7]showered us with bullets and he [F]rained us with [C]shell And in five minutes [F]flat he’d blown [C]us all to [Am]hell, nearly [C]blew us right [G7]back to Aus[C]tralia [F] [C] But the [C]band played [F]Waltzing Ma[C]tilda, when we stopped to [F]bury our [G]slain. [F]We buried ours, and the [C]Turks buried [F]theirs, then we [C]started all [G7]over a[C]gain. [G7] [C]

And [C]those that were [F]left, well, we [C]tried to sur[Am]vive, in that [C]mad world of [G7]blood, death and [C]fire. And for ten weary [F]weeks I kept [C]myself a[Am]live, though a[C]round me the [G7]corpses piled [C]higher. Then a [G7]big Turkish shell knocked me [F]arse over [C]head, and [G7]when I woke up in me [F]hospital [C]bed And saw what it had [F]done, well, I [C]wished I was [Am]dead, never [C]knew there was [G7]worse things than [C]dying. [F] [C] For I’ll [C]go no more [F]Waltzing Ma[C]tilda, All around the green [F]bush, far and [G]free. To [F]hump tent and pegs, a [C]man needs both [F]legs, no more ‘[C]Waltzing Ma[G7]tilda’ for [C]me. [G7] [C]

So they [C]gathered the [F]crippled, the [C]wounded, the [Am]maimed, and they [C]shipped us back [G7]home to Aus[C]tralia. The legless, the [F]armless, the [C]blind and in[Am]sane, those [C]proud wounded [G7]heroes of [C]Suvla. And [G7]when our ship pulled into [F]Circular [C]Quay, I [G7]looked at the place where [F]me legs used to [C]be. And thanked Christ, there was [F]nobody [C]waiting for [Am]me, to [C]grieve, to [G7]mourn, and to [C]pity. [F] [C] But the [C]band played [F]Waltzing Ma[C]tilda, as they carried us [F]down the gang[G]way. But [F]nobody cheered, they [C]just stood and [Am]stared, then they [C]turned all their [G7]faces a[C]way. [G7] [C]

And so [C]now every [F]April I [C]sit on me [Am]porch, and I [C]watch the pa[G7]rade pass be[C]fore me And I see my old [F]comrades, how [C]proudly they [Am]march, re[C]viving old [G7]dreams and past [C]glory. And the [G7]old men march slowly, old [F]bones stiff and [C]sore; they’re [G7]tired old heroes from a [F]forgotten [C]war. And the young people [F]ask “What are [C]they marching [Am]for?” and [C]I ask me[G7]self the same [C]question. [F] [C] [C]But the band plays [F]Waltzing Ma[C]tilda, and the old men still [F]answer the [G]call. But as [F]year follows year, more old [C]men disa[F]ppear, some day [C]no one will [G]march there at [C]all.

[C]Waltzing matilda, [F]waltzing matilda, [C]who’ll come a[Am]waltzing ma[Dm]tilda with [G7]me? And their [C]ghosts may be [G7]heard as they [C]march by that [F]Billabong, [C]Who’ll come a[Am]waltzing ma[G7]tilda with [C]me?

Artist Eric Bogle

Album Now I'm Easy

Genres Folk

Year 1980

Key [C]

Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda can be played in the key of [C] using the C, G7, F, Am chords.

For C, To play C, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, G, high E ring open, mute A, D.
For G7, To play G7, press fret 1 on the low E string with finger 2, let D, G, B ring open, mute A, high E.
For F, To play F, barre fret 1 from the B string to the high E string with finger 1, press fret 1 on the low E string with finger 4, let A ring open, mute D, G.
For Am, To play Am, press fret 1 on the B string with finger 2, let low E, A, high E ring open, mute D, G.

Barre: Use your index finger to press multiple strings on the same fret, keeping your finger flat.

You can play The Band Played Waltzing Matilda with the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ strumming pattern.