Drummer reacts to "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" by Eric Bogle

[@ChrisBright-qj6yx]

I'm in my 50s and my grandfather served in Palestine in the 1st Light Horse in Palestine, he came back a changed man which has generational impacts of his service. My dad, his son raised me and my siblings, youngest is 46year old, as a damaged man. More than 100years after the event there are repercussions. Let's not do it again. 😢

[@ozstarr4583]

Anzacs never glorify, we always remember 👍

[@wayback479]

Thanks for doing this Lee. Such an emotional and powerful song . The spirit of the ANZAC’S resonates deeply with Aussies and Kiwi’s still to this day . Many paid the ultimate price for our freedom . Lest we forget

[@olenfersoi8887]

What is even sadder is that, though the song implies that the solders were conscripts...they were almost entirely volunteer!

[@ChrisBright-qj6yx]

One thing I am thrilled with (and I'm sure Eric Bogle is too) ,is that the young people do still march and remember the sacrifice of our young Australians involvement in WW1 and the following conflicts. We don't glorify war but appreciate the service of our veterans in protecting our values and way of life.

[@simon_wiggle_fan]

The Australian children's group, the Wiggles did a version of this song and in an interview they did where they played the song during ANZAC Day, they said that the younger and current generations are being raised now to understand and respect the military and the sacrifices they made for their country. They said ANZAC Day is becoming more respected and honored by the current younger people, whether or not they had loved ones who served.

[@LizzieRD]

Very well said. Thoughtful and insightful, just like the song

[@jemxs]

So beautifully melancholy. So necessarily graphic. Delivered so heartfelt. Appreciated your reaction and thoughts.

[@chitownlee]

One of the saddest songs ever written...

[@sibertiger1970]

Now you need to hear "I Was Only 19" by Redgum best version is where songwriter/singer John Schumann is older. It has a background of the song.

[@Peter-oh3hc]

The words The voice The guitar The message So perfect on so many levels

[@goonbelly5841]

A little background: When the British Navy failed to force a passage of the Dardanelles in 1915, it fell to British and ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) troops to capture the Gallipoli peninsula from the Turks. But the ground campaign proved to be a total disaster. In nine months of bloody slaughter, about 58,000 allied soldiers - including 29,000 British and Irish soldiers and 11,000 Australians and New Zealanders - lost their lives during the badly planned operation to take the Gallipoli peninsula; a further 87,000 Ottoman Turkish troops died fiercely defending their homeland, and at least 300,000 more on both sides were seriously wounded.

[@sharondavid-melly1498]

Appreciate your knowledge of history ❤️

[@personofearth5076]

@@sharondavid-melly1498 Yep he's spot on.

[@mstewart109]

I remember in grade school singing this song. Of course as a kid we never understood the meaning. I am 66 yrs old and i just figured it out due to this song. Wow!!

[@mals4125]

The phrase 'Waltzing Matilda' works all three ways in this song. Literally - dancing with a girl Colloquially - as Australian slag for walking around the country with your swag (bed roll / backpack) most often used Referencing - making reference to the famous song of the same name (written by poet Banjo Patterson in 1895) that is Australia's unofficial national anthem about a bloke who steals some sheep then kills himself before he lets himself be arrested (very Australian). This song is 44 years old and is still so poignant. Just an amazing piece of writing. The companion song to this one is 'No Man's Land' writing about the Western Front in World War One, is also heartbreaking and has a song message for all of us today. Great reaction.

[@dianasheart]

Thank you for listening and reacting. I love this song dearly. I first heard about it from a friend of Julian Assange, who apparently cherishes it as a favorite. I advocate universal peace and the greater good. But the boy I met at 15 and married at 20 did two Viet Nam tours with the 101st Airborne. We both had abusive parents, and then we went through his PTSD together for five years, until he went very dark and abandoned our relationship.

[@G.H.O.S.T.254]

One thing came out of the Gallipoli Campaign. Over the last 100 years, Australia and Turkey became quite close. Many Immigrants traveled from Turkey to Australia after the war and they have left a large mark with their farming, food and customs and have a surprising loyalty to their new home. You will not be able to travel far without seeing Turkish restaurants and fast food shops anywhere. It has become a staple food. I have many Turkish freinds i grew up with, their families very open and welcoming.

[@corawheeler9355]

Powerful, beautiful, sad song.

[@minbonwick7888]

As an Australian I am thrilled you found this very special song. Eric Bogle is a National Treasure here! His songs resonate in every country and language. His songs tell the truth. Please look at his entire collection. They are outstanding. Unfortunately we still have ongoing wars. Nothing changes. How can we stop them. ❤️

[@geraldinegalliers9847]

To this day this song fills me with tears. Never fails.

[@theeloquentbaby]

“I’ll go no more waltzing Matilda…” a very sad story

[@cyclops60]

Winston Churchill was in the British Government and in charge of the Royal Navy at the time. He came up with idea of the Dardanelles campaign which was devised as an alternative (2nd front) to the deadlock that was resulting in mass slaughter on the Western front (in France & Belgium). Following this disaster, he was forced to resign and demoted to obscurity in the fall out that followed. Some redemption was eventually gained in WW2. The Pogues did a great cover of this but it was nice to hear the original artist. Cheers.

[@MikeWalsh-f1g]

Beautiful, Heroic, Tragic, Genius. The truth of war and the magic of music❤

[@tommydevlin702]

Hi Lee and it is great that you have turned your attention to this outstanding song. This is one of two all-time great anti war songs that Eric Bogle wrote. The other is "The Green Fields of France" aka "No Man's Land" and also sometimes called "Willie McBride." These two songs are among the greatest songs that expose the sheer lunacy that lies at the heart of war. This particular song "And The Band Played Waltzing Mathilda" turns its gaze upon the terrible Gallipoli campaign that ended (probably) in stalemate at a terrible cost of lives. The other song turns its attention to Flanders in particular has the carnage of the Battle of the Somme in mind - a battle which even by WWI standards was an appalling engagement. I do think that now that you are doing "Matilda" you would really appreciate the other song. Speaking entirely personally I do think that the best version of "The Green Fields of France" is that by The Fury Brothers and Davey Arthur - I do think you will truly 'get' that version.

[@L33Reacts]

It seems KZbin deems this video too “spicy” for me to make any scratch off of so I’m glad I swung for the fences with this recap lol. This was one of the most haunting and sad songs I’ve heard about war. And yeah it’s about the galipoli campaign in 1915 - Australia and the ottomans I believe? Terrible conflict. WW1 and its legacy still haunt us to this day.

[@L33Reacts]

actually it was the entire british empire that attacked. minus british india im guessing.

[@Moz1011]

I love this song. So sad. But important to keep in our hearts.

[@tommydevlin702]

@@L33Reacts Hi lee, Yeh this song and how it is sung so softly and tenderly by Eric Bogle is one of the truly great songs of its type. Winston Churchill had been one of the prime movers behind this campaign that was ultimately designed in part to try to eclipse Germany's power in the east and thereby relieve pressure on the western front during WWI. It was considered a disastrous failure and Churchill was severely criticised for his role. Such was the impact upon him that he resigned from the government and volunteered for the frontline on the western front where he served as a lieutenant for a time. Now that you have listened to this I do think you will get a lot from its twin song "The Green Fields of France" aka "No Man's Land" aka "Willie McBride". I know that I am probably a bit biased but I do think that the version by the Fury Brothers and Davy Arthur would be a really good place to begin. As a further aside, I also think that when you are going through "The Dreaming" you would really get a lot from listening to "Pull Out the Pin" as a stand alone song. It is sung from the perspective of a North Vietnamese fighter stalking, hunting down a US soldier, and the vocal on it is astonishing, as is the whole arrangement (the song includes backing vocals from David Gilmour) - and the sheer lunacy, desperation, and terror of it all is captured in remarkable detail - you can almost feel the humidity, the sweat, and the fear of those involved along with the swirling madness of it all - as the vocals are screamed to the very point of the voice almost being overcome.

[@Hare_deLune]

​@@L33Reacts "WW1 and its legacy still haunt us to this day." Brother, you are more correct in that statement than you can imagine. The entire World was completely changed by that war. Lifestyles changed, economies changed, technologies changed, people's outlook changed. Companies and products rose up that had never existed before, and unfortunately prospered. Yes, nearly everything changed after that. Moreso than in 2021 from the plague. Frightening.

[@lbd-po7cl]

Eric Bogle, as he said, wrote this in 1971, and it became hugely popular in folk clubs in Australia and the UK, with numerous people recording it before him. He was initially known primarily as a song writer, rather than a performer, and didn’t get around to recording his first album until 1980. I think the first recording of it was by English folk singer June Tabor, on her debut album Airs and Graces in 1975. She has a gloriously rich voice, and her acapella version, in my opinion, is the best out there (and I think Eric has said as much as well). WWI was the first conflict Australia entered as a nation in its own right (federation was in 1901), and many people naively regarded it as an adventure. When the returning wounded were unloaded off the ships, the “turning away” of the crowds was more to do with shock at what they saw, rather than any disdain. Suddenly the brutality of the war was brought home to them and they didn’t know how to respond.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

That song always makes me teary. My Dad came home perfectly safe from WW2. My great uncle was killed in Belgium in WW1. Never met him, but feel like I knew him - in my heart. My son-in-law has just retired from the army. Luckily he was a fitness instructor for years here in Aus but had to do stint in Afghanistan. He looked gorgeous in his uniform on Anzac Day. He’s finally grown a beard, let his hair grow a bit and is wearing scruffy jeans lol. Thankfully nearly all my family came home safely. War really is HELL.

[@goannaj3243]

Only 19 by Redgum is also a powerful song, but Eric did many. slow folksie but up for it 'green fields of france' 'as if he knows'

[@paulbirtles2807]

The PTSD 35 Anniversary version is a good version to react too. Redgun only 19

[@NikkieMaguire]

🇦🇺❤️ Thankyou for reacting from down under.

[@macman1469]

Its part of our Aussie culture that we commemorate the loss and horror of war and not celebrate the victory of battle .

[@wendyryder2708]

Oh Lee! You REALLY want me to cry! This song is beautiful, however extremely sad! Eric Bogle is AMAZING! My dad was in ww2 and Korean conflict! I love your channel! I think you are an amazing young man! Thank you for all you do for the channel! Peace and Blessings to you and yours from Australia!

[@chrissyparx9472]

A great song full of imagery and emotion about a tragic happening in australian history.

[@chrissyparx9472]

There is a movie called 'Gallipoli' which should ne watched about which this song is about,So good.

[@mikeeckel2807]

A very young Mel Gibson is in it.

[@olenfersoi8887]

Surprisingly, the last survivor of Galipoli lived past the turning of the millenium! Here's his story: Alec Campbell was the last surviving soldier from the Gallipoli campaign during World War I, and died on May 16, 2002 at the age of 103. Campbell was born in Launceston, Tasmania on February 26, 1899, and joined the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) in 1915 at the age of 16, lying about his age to enlist. He served as a stores carrier for two months during the fighting at Gallipoli, and was wounded and invalided home in 1916. Campbell's death marked the end of the Gallipoli campaign as a part of living memory, and he became a symbol of Australia's connection to its historiography. A state funeral was held in his honor, and the Governor-General described his passing as "an occasion for Australians to pause and reflect on the passing of the generation that gave us our identity and character as a nation"

[@GiannaEmme]

The Pogues ' version breaks my heart with Shane Macgowen singing...I just can't help but crying...

[@ednicholson7839]

Many of us know this song from its many cover versions -- in my case the weary, biting, bitter, hypnotic version by the The Pogues. Amazing tune and Shane MaGowan sings it like he lived it.

[@lorddeath4bs689]

Waltzing men's walking Matilda is like a backpack with all your stuff in it💀💀💀

[@rowbearly6128]

Swag ,actually mate. To sleep in while camping.

[@hoppers13]

ANZAC Day is hugely important here; perhaps it should be better known in the USA. The folly of war at its most shameful.

[@sharondavid-melly1498]

Thank you, Lee

[@thethinkingman9338]

if that dont bring you to tears, nothing will

[@dubsnapper4787]

Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) with one's belongings in a "matilda" (swag) slung over one's back

[@TalebIbrahim]

Actually you're half right. The swag is the persons rolled up bedding, cooking equipment etc. Its called a Matilda. The waltzing part comes from the movement it makes when you sling it over your shoulder. It 'waltzes' to and fro as you walk. Hence a waltzing Matilda.

[@dubsnapper4787]

@@TalebIbrahim half right, 99%

[@heatherwickstead7980]

Thankyou for reacting to this amazing song- good job! On another note - I see your Led Zeppelin t-shirt. This Aussie 68 year old 'girl' went to a LZ concert here in Melbourne back in my teens. I wonder if you've ever checked our our Aussie legend John Farnham's cover of Black Dog? Some reckon it's at least as good as the original. There's no video because he only used it as a warm up, sound check, and one day the sound engineer pressed record!

[@juliefitzgerald3458]

the English commanders sent the aussie boys into a slaughter that could not be won. Our boys did their duty but omg, a sad time in history, but so freaking proud of my ancestors who fought and died on the battle fields in ww1. I had 2 great uncles who lost their lives - their parents, family and friends back in australia only ever knew the official cause of death eventually- died on the battlefield. I cannot imagine the pain and heartache of my great grandparents who only ever heard that their child died on the battle field, months after the fact.

[@sharondavid-melly1498]

The War Racket video by Buffy Sainte-Marie is a schooler. Sorry about anyone in your family who may have got hurt. Your a sweetheart

[@Moz1011]

Buffy Saint Marie's Universal Soldier is another song that everybody needs to hear.

[@malcolmrayner3480]

Eric has another called No Mans Land or by others that have recorded it as the Green fields of France. This is good a song as this one plus a song by a band called Redgum they released "i was only 19" is another song that tugs at you to hear

[@raymondjones246]

'A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end'

[@ColinEmersonSpeaker]

I'm an Australian ex-service .... my grandfather served in the 6th Lighthorse Brigade at ANZAC COVE and Palestine in WW1. He carried what he saw and experienced for the rest of his life. That song reflected not just WW1, but all subsequent wars. After Vietnam the returning Veterans were too often spat on, called baby killers and other expletives. They struggled to get any recognition or support from Veterans Affairs and still suffer 50 years on. Today, even our returning Veterans from Middle East war zones struggle to get support with far too many taking their lives, living on the streets and suffering PTSD . It sucks that our youngest are sent to wars by politicians who wouldn't dare do what they ask these men and women to do. Luckily though we are seeing more ex-service members getting into government and hopefully they will change things. Thank you to all who served.

[@johno1765]

Based on the views you expressed here about soldiers, I think you may appreciate Arlo Guthrie's "When a Soldier Makes It Home."

[@Harrygreen111]

If you liked this one you need to listen to No Man's Land Eric Bogle got this 60 yr old Aussie tearing up

[@personofearth5076]

No I'm with you all the way man and I question what these wars were/are really about. Don't be sorry.

[@rowbearly6128]

Ottoman empire was a slave based system, oppressing non muslims and persecuting minorities. They had to go.

[@ChrisBright-qj6yx]

Other posters have said and i concur, try to watch 'Gallipoli ' starring a young Mel Gibson. Great representation of the ANZAC experiences there.

[@lorddeath4bs689]

It's an unofficial Australian anthem💀💀💀

[@GiannaEmme]

Please react to the Pogues' version...you can't help but love it...Shane's voice always kills me...Shane💔🙏

[@lisannebaumholz5028]

I first heard Eric Bogle perform this at the Vancouver Folk Festival back in the 1980s. Another moving anti-war song is Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Universal Soldier" from the 1960s: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIDYi6qmfK19bacsi=I-XkurQNJsenOkQI

[@TalebIbrahim]

Don't be ashamed to cry young man. Its a sad powerful song. Gallipoli (you said it right) was a disaster. Our men were mowed down. Our population in 1915 was approx 5 million people, and 8000 died at Gallipoli. So quite a percentage. They were sold a story by the British. Sign up. Go overseas. See the world. You'll be back in 6 months. It'll be an adventure. Instead they were landed at the wrong place, with huge cliffs in front of them, and the Turks armed to the teeth. They were, as the song says, blasted to hell. That's why we commemorate ANZAC Day. Australia and New Zealand Army Corp on Jan 25, the day they landed at Gallipoli.

[@suemoore984]

April 25

[@thunderspike1892]

The first time I heard this song was The Pogues version at the end of Battlefield 1. The Original by Eric Bogle are even prettier. In Battlefield 1 are a campaign called The Runner. You play a young man who's an ANZAC runner at Gallipoli. Running from area to area with messages.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

This one hurt me

[@wendyryder2708]

Always does!

[@chippydogwoofwoof]

Amazing song personally I prefer the version by the Pogues but it's powerful whoever sings it.

[@Hare_deLune]

I watched it.

[@robertbollard5475]

Try Greenfields of France

[@GaryNoone-jz3mq]

This is not an anti war song as much as a description of war. I suppose that, in itself, is anti war.

[@goonbelly5841]

When you think about it, what quarrel did the Australians and New Zealanders have with the Turks and vice versa?

[@L33Reacts]

The British empire had a problem with them. They were apart of the central powers like Germany. A senseless and absolutely bloodsoaked war. Left the world in ruins and then the Spanish flu hits and then the rise of Germany again for round 2… before I started actually studying the wars I had no idea how much of a powerhouse Germany was back in the 19th and 20th century. They were the napoleonic France of their day

[@bombasticbushkin1124]

@@L33Reacts Hi Lee. Bombastic here. History buff? Me too. Best, by far, history podcast is The Rest is History. I mean, they just did a four part series on the assassination of Franz Duke Ferdinand which led to WW I or The First World War as the Brits call it. Fascinating. Two highly credentialed and respected history professors and authors who are incredibly smart and ... wait for it ... funny; a great combination. And speaking of the Civil War, may I recommend the podcast The Battle of Gettysburg? Excellent.

[@pierreverschueren8382]

It would of Beane nice if you had removed the head gear for respected thank you Sir.

[@rowbearly6128]

I prefer the recorded version I grew up with but this still hits home.

[@rowbearly6128]

Unfortunately war is part of being human. Primitive warfare is even more vicious and the % of populations killed is much higher. I have studied warfare for several decades,all the archeological anthropological and ethnographic evidence confirms that even small bands of nomadic hunter gatherers engaged in war. The first city states in Sumeria also waged war between themselves, taking slaves and massacring populations. Humanity is deeply flawed. There are only about three known populations,small tribal groups, that refuse to wage war.They have expansive unpopulated areas to flee to and no agricultural assets to defend.