I Was Only 19

Mum, Dad, and Denny were some amongst many Who came to watch the passing out parade at Puckapunyal Seemed every man and his mongrel came to watch cadets stumble On the long march to the Viet jungle "Oh Christ", I mumbled as I drew that card And my mates came to slap me on the back with due regard We were the sixth battalion, yep, next to tour We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left, rest assured Seemed half of Townsville turned out to see us leave And they lined the footpaths as we marched to the quay And the papers wrote it up like you wouldn't believe But we were only looking to the future for fast reprieve And there's all of us looking young, strong and clean Rocking slouch hats, slung SLRs and greens God help me, I was only 19 From Vung Tau in black helicopters Chinook pilots seemed relieved at Nui Dat when he dropped us Seems like months running on and off landing pads Letters to Dad, it's like, man, he's sad But he can't see the tents that we call home Cans of VB and pin-ups of chicks off TV The heat, the mosquitoes and the noise surprising Like the first time you see an Agent Orange horizon So please, can you tell me doctor, why I can't get to sleep? The scars left in me And nighttime's just a jungle, dark and a barking M16 We keep saying, "Rest in peace" What's this rash that comes and goes? Don't suppose you can tell me what that means? God help me, I was only 19 Sent off on a four-week-long operation Where every single step could be your last one On two legs, it was sorta living hell Falling with the shells, war within yourself But you couldn't let your mates down 'til they had you dusted off So you closed your eyes and thought of something else Someone yelled "Contact!", another bloke swore We hooked in for hours then a god almighty roar Then Frankie kicked a mine, the day that mankind kicked the moon God help me, he was going home in June And I can still see Frank with a can in his hand Thirty-six hour, leave in the bar at the Grand And I can still hear Frank, a screaming mess Of bleeding flesh, couldn't retrieve his legs You see the ANZAC legend neglected to mention Mud the fear, the blood, the tears, the tension Dad's recollection beyond comprehension Didn't seem quite real until we were sent in Chaos and confusion, the fire and steel Hot shrapnel in my back I didn't even feel God help me, I was only 19 So please can you tell me doctor, why I can't get to sleep? I can't hardly eat And the sound of the Channel Seven chopper still chills me to my feet Still fuels my grief? And what's this rash that comes and goes Like the dreams, can you tell me what that means? God help me, I was only 19 Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal It was a long march from Cadets And the sixth battalion was the next to tour It was me who drew the card We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and clean And there's me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens God help me, I was only 19 So please can you tell me, doctor, why I can't get to sleep? I can't hardly eat And the sound of the Channel Seven chopper still chills me to my feet Still fuels my grief? What's this rash that comes and goes Like the dreams, can you tell me what that means? God help me, I was only 19