[Intro]

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[Verse 1]

             
  Mum and Dad 

             
and Denny saw 

             
the passing ou

             
t parade at Pu

   
ckapunyal.
              
(It was a long

             
 march from ca

       
dets.)
             
The sixth batt

              
alion was the 

             
next to tour a

             
nd it was me w

              
ho drew the ca


rd.
             
We did Canungr

             
a and Shoalwat

              
er before we l

  
eft.


[Chorus 1]

             
And Townsville

              
 lined the foo

              
tpaths as we m

             
arched down to

         
 the quay.
             
This clipping 

              
from the paper

             
 shows us youn

              
g and strong a

    
nd clean.
           
And there's me

             
 in me slouch 

             
hat with me SL

      
R and greens.
             
God help me, I

         
 was only  nin

 
eteen.


[Verse 2]

             
From Vung Tau 

             
riding Chinook

             
s to the dust 

         
at Nui Dat,
             
I'd been in an

             
d out of chopp

             
ers now for mo

nths.
             
And we made ou

             
r tents a home

             
, V.B. and pin

           
ups on the loc

kers.
             
And an Asian o

             
range sunset t

              
hrough the scr

 
ub.


[Chorus 2]

             
And can you te

              
ll me, doctor,

             
 why I still c

              
an't get to sl

  
eep?
             
And night time

              
's just a jung

              
le dark and a 

          
barking M.16?
           
And what's thi

             
s rash that co

              
mes and goes, 

             
can you tell m

           
e what it mean

s?
             
God help me, I

              
 was only nine


teen.


[Verse 3]

             
A four week op

             
eration, when 

             
each step can 

           
mean your last

 one
             
on two legs: i

             
t was a war wi

          
thin yourself.
             
But you wouldn

             
't let your ma

              
tes down 'til 

             
they had you d

       
usted off.
             
So you closed 

              
your eyes and 

             
thought about 

           
somethin' else

.


[Chorus 3]

             
And then someo

              
ne yelled out 

              
"Contact", and

             
 the bloke beh

         
ind me swore.
             
We hooked in t

              
here for hours

             
, then a God a

         
lmighty roar.
           
And Frankie ki

             
cked a mine th

             
e day that man

              
kind kicked th

  
e moon.
             
God help me, h

              
e was going ho

           
me in June.


[Interlude]

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[Verse 4]

             
And I can stil

             
l see Frankie,

             
 drinkin' tinn

           
ies in the Gra

nd Hotel
             
on a thirty-si

             
x hour rec. le

            
ave in Vung Ta

u.
             
And I can stil

             
l hear Frankie

             
, lying scream

           
ing in the jun

gle,
             
'til the morph

             
ine came and k

              
illed the bloo

    
dy row.


[Chorus 4]

             
And the Anzac 

              
legends didn't

             
 mention mud a

              
nd blood and t


ears.
             
And the storie

              
s that my fath

             
er told me nev

              
er seemed quit

   
e real.
           
I caught some 

             
pieces in my b

             
ack that I did

          
n't even feel.
             
God help me, I

         
 was only  nin

 
eteen.


[Chorus 5]

             
And can you te

              
ll me, doctor,

             
 why I still c

              
an't get to sl

  
eep?
             
And why the Ch

              
annel Seven ch

             
opper chills m

         
e to my feet.
           
And what's thi

             
s rash that co

              
mes and goes, 

             
can you tell m

           
e what it mean

s?
             
God help me, I

              
 was only nine


teen.


[Outro]

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