Eric Bogle - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

****Note added 25 April 2010:

When I was asked to create this presentation for a Remembrance Day assembly, I didn't know how I would show an "anti-war" song at an event that is supposed to honour our veterans. At the same time, war and military conflict was such a distant concept for our students, I wanted to some how make history relevant to them, let alone an "Australian" song that most of the our middle school students have never heard.

The more I listened to Bogle's words, the more I realized that this song was about more than a moment in history. It's about how history repeats itself and the great sacrifices that are made during war and how futile it all is if we fail to learn from our mistakes.

Making the transition from B/W to full colour to coincide with Bogle's words "We started all over again," I wanted to show how war is part of our past, present and (unfortunately) future.

Great sacrifices have been made because of war. Bogle asks "What are they marching for?" I say they are marching to honour those sacrifices. If any veteran is offended by this video, I truly do apologize.

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April 25 - ANZAC Day
November 11 - Remembrance Day

"Waltzing Matilda" is a very famous Australian folk song and a "Matilda" was the name given to the pack that Australian farm workers carried on their backs.

To "Waltz Matilda" meant to carry your pack of belongings through the bush.

The song "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" by Eric Bogle is about Australian soldiers who fought against Turkish troops and died in the Battle of Gallipoli in World War I.

Mixed with pictures from Gallipoli are pictures of past and present Canadian troops because this song and slideshow was played during a Remembrance Day assembly at a Canadian public school.

Information about this song was taken from this web page (which is NOT mine) that talks about Eric Bogle's performance of this song:

http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/matilda.html

Judging by a lot of people's comments, I should have used another source for info and double-checked the data. I hope that Bogle's message reaches beyond just numbers--because all sacrifices big or small are significant.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bogle
• folk
• soldier
• gallipoli
• matilda
• remembrance
• world
• war
• Australia
• Canada
• music
• ANZAC
• history
• New
• Zealand
• Turk
• dead
• protest

[irynski]

@alanbstard4 Machiavellian same old, same old... and Thatcher was accused of resurrecting him! Sorry, Old Boys Club, she wasn't as good at being dishonest about it. You've been throwing the same crumbs for centuries.

Amazing, isn't it, the crumbs still don't get mouldy after all these years, much like a MacDonald's cheeseburger.

The leaders are still arseholes and the plebs are still as gullible as ever.

[alanbstard4]

@irynski When Uncle Joe and Churchill drew a line across the map at Yalta and nodded, separating and condemning the Eastern Europeans to The Soviets, that showed the contempt they had for humanity and freedom

Churchull sais that the Empire goes to war in defence of small nations. Then he hands them to Stalin.

What an arsehole

[irynski]

@alanbstard4 Yeah, but you can't accuse him of being a racist cunt. His own social strata were all equals: Empires (oligarchs, ad nauseum). He was was always willing to sacrifice those whose interests didn't matter for his own 'greater good'. What? Could it be that he actually had an inkling of the ramifications of the Yalta Conference? Gasp!!! No, no! Don't say it's so! Not OUR great British Bulldog (whose?)! Oh, and don't mention Mr. 'Fair Deal' (for whom?) FDR to the citizens of the US of A!

[irynski]

@alanbstard4 I LOVE THIS QUOTE! I've also found the perfect place to use it.

Thanks for the manna from heaven!

[alanbstard4]

@irynski Yes, the body count of our bomber crews over Europe for a start. Cunt he was.. and Harris

[alanbstard4]

@irynski personally. I would have preferred the Nazis remove the eastern communists. We all should have minded our own business while they did it

[irynski]

@zapkvr @alanbstard4 Ah, Alan! Yes, I see why you don't want to stick a toe into Eastern European politics. Unfortunately, being of Ukrainian heritage, I can smell a Russophile shark a mile off. Give 'em a sniff of your blood & you'll have the trolls coming at you left & right (they have no centre).

@zapkvr If you want to talk about 'made up' countries in Eastern Europe, take me on, Москаль! Oh, and do try to be consistent. Does Poland exist or doesn't it? You seem confused.

[irynski]

@yore84003 Only one of Churchill's follies! Let's not count the decisions he made knowing the outcome full well... So much blood on his hands.

[alanbstard4]

@irynski Neville Wran said the best thing about the working class is getting out of it

[irynski]

@jamsieboy1986 This song uses the device of first-person narrative leading us through naivety & the desire to fight for that which we, as ordinary people, deem to be morally honourable. It's the story of a working-class man-boy who believes that the ruling classes hold the same ideals. Only, as the story unfolds, does he question the truth of the sacrifice he & so many others made for the privileged/elite to uphold THEIR power & interests. Sadness & questions are predominant, not anger.