I Was Only 19

(yep, check)

Mum, Dad and Denny were some amongst many

who turned up to see the passing out parade at Puckapunyal

Seemed every man and his mongrel watched 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

The papers wrote it up like you would not believe

but we were looking to the future for a fast reprieve

The newspaper clippings show us young, strong and clean

rockin' slouch hats, slung SLRs and greens

God help me, I was only nineteen

From Vung Tau in black helicopters

The chinook pilots seemed relieved at Nui Dat when they dropped us

Feels like months running on and off landing pads

letters to Dad 'cause it's like, man, he's sad

But he can't see the tents that we call home

cans of VB and pin-ups on the lockers of the chicks off TV

The noise, the mosquitoes and the heat surprising

like the first time you see an agent orange horizon



So please can you tell me doctor why I still can't get to sleep

The scar's left in me?

Night time's just a jungle, dark and a barking M16

that keeps saying "rest in peace"

And what the hell's this rash that comes and goes

I don't suppose you can tell me what that means?

God help me, I was only nineteen



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 wouldn't let your mates down 'till they had you dusted off

so you closed your eyes and thought of something else

Then someone yelled "contact!", another bloke swore

we hooked in there 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

I can still hear Frank, a screaming mess

of bleeding flesh, couldn't retrieve his legs

The ANZAC legend neglected to mention the mud

The fear, the blood, the tears, the tension

Dad's recollection beyond comprehension

didn't seem quite real until we were sent in

The chaos and confusion, the fire and steel

hot shrapnel in my back I didn't even feel

God help me, I was only nineteen



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 nineteen



Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal

It was a long march from Cadets

The sixth battalion was the next to tour

It was me who drew the card

we did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left



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 nineteen