Chords:
{t: I Was Only Nineteen }
{key: D}
{artist:Redgum}
John Schumann (Redgum) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UYDKxxQ50o
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[A][C] [G][D] [A][G][A]
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[A] Mum and Dad and [C] Denny
saw the [G] passing-out pa-[D]rade at Pucka[A]punyal
It was a [G]long march from ca[A]dets
[A] The sixth battalion was the [C] next to tour,
and it was [G] me who drew the [D] card
We did Ca-[A]nungra, Shoal-[G]water before we [A] left
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And [E] Townsville lined the footpaths as we [D] marched down to the [A] quay
This [E] clipping from the paper shows us [D] young and strong and [A] clean
And [F#m] there's me in me [E] slouch hat with me [D] SLR and [A] greens
God [E] help me, I was only nine-[D]teen
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From [A] Vung Tau, riding [C] Chinooks, to the [G] dust at Nui [D] Dat
I'd been [A] in and out of [G] choppers now for [A] months
But we [A] made our tents a [C] home, VB and [G] pinups on the [D] lockers
And an [A] Asian orange [G] sunset through the [A] scrub
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And [E] can you tell me, doctor, why I [D] still can't get to [A] sleep?
And [E] night-time's just a jungle dark and a [D] barking M six-[A]teen?
And [F#m] what's this rash that [E] comes and goes,
can you [D] tell me what it [A] means?
God [E] help me, I was only nine-[D]teen
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A [A] four weeks ope-[Am]ra-[C]tion
when each [G] step could mean your [D] last one on two [A] legs
It was [G] war within your-[A]self
But you wouldn't let your [C] mates down til they [A] had you dusted [D] off
So you [A] closed your eyes and [G] thought about something [A] else
{np}
Then [E] someone yelled out "Contact!" and the [D] bloke behind me [A] swore
We [E] hooked in there for hours, then a [D] god all mighty [A] roar
[F#m] Frankie kicked a [E] mine the day that man-[D]kind kicked the [A] moon
God [E] help me, he was going home in [D] June
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[A] I can still see [C] Frankie, drinking [G] tinnies in the [D] Grand Hotel
On a [A] thirty-six hour [G] rec leave in Vung [A] Tau
And [A] I can still hear [C] Frankie, lying [G] screaming in the [D] jungle
Til the [A] morphine came and [G] killed the bloody [A] row
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And the [E] Anzac legends didn't mention [D] mud and blood and [A] tears
And the [E] stories that my father told me [D] never seemed quite [A] real
I [F#m] aught some pieces [E] in my back that I [D] didn't even [A] feel
God [E] help me, I was only [D] nineteen
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And [E] can you tell me, doctor, why I [D] still can't get to i[A] sleep?
And [E] why the Channel Seven chopper [D] chills me to my [A] feet?
And [F#m] what's this rash that [E] comes and goes, can you [D] tell me what it [A] means?
God [E] help me, I was only nine[D]teen
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[A] [C] [G] [D] [A] [G] [A]
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Thanks to : http://stewartgreenhill.com/ukulele/index.html
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Can't hear this without getting a lump in my throat!
