And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda the younger generation becomes apathetic to the veterans and their cause. At its conclusion, the song incorporates the melody and a few lines of lyrics of the 1895 song "Waltzing Matilda" by Australian poet Banjo Paterson. Many cover versions of the song have been performed and recorded, as well as many versions in foreign languages. The song is an account of the memories of an old Australian man who, as a youngster had travelled across rural Australia with a swag (the so-called Matilda of the title) and tent. In 1915 he had joined the Australian armed forces and been sent
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda at all; they thought it was anti-soldier, but they've come full circle now and they see it's certainly anti-war but not anti-soldier." Written in 1971, the coincidence with the Vietnam War has not been missed as it rails against the romanticising of war. As the old man sits on his porch, watching the veterans march past every Anzac Day, he muses, "The young people ask what are they marching for, and I ask myself the same question". The song was originally eight verses long but Bogle pared it down to five verses. In 1974 Bogle, entered the National Folk Festival