A very true statement. Just ask any Servicemember that walked through, rolled through or limped thru an American airport in uniform in the 60's or early 70's. The Band played Waltzing Matilda may have been about Aussie troops from WW1, but the reception they got that prompted these lyrics were echoed for returnees from the 'Nam.
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They collected the wounded, the crippled, the maimed And they shipped us back home to Australia The armless, the legless, the blind and the insane Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla And when the ship pulled into Circular Quay I looked at the place where me legs used to be And thank Christ there was no one there waiting for me To grieve and to mourn and to pity And the Band played Waltzing Matilda When they carried us down the gangway Oh nobody cheered, they just stood there and stared Then they turned all their faces away Now every April I sit on my porch And I watch the parade pass before me I see my old comrades, how proudly they march Renewing their dreams of past glories I see the old men all tired, stiff and worn Those weary old heroes of a forgotten war And the young people ask "What are they marching for?" And I ask myself the same question And the band plays Waltzing Matilda And the old men still answer the call But year after year, their numbers get fewer Someday, no one will march there at all
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Absolutely! Can’t listen to this song without going back to the 1960’s and shed a tear for those who never had a chance to pursue life, liberty and happiness.