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I Was Only Nineteen

artist:Redgum

, writer:John Schuman



   Chords:
 {t: I Was Only Nineteen }  
{key: D}  
{artist:Redgum}  
John Schumann (Redgum) :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UYDKxxQ50o  
{c: } 
[A][C] [G][D] [A][G][A]   
{c: } 
[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 
{c: } 
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   
{c: } 
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 
{c: } 
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 
{c: } 
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  
{c: } 
[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   
{c: } 
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  
{c: } 
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 
{c: } 
[A] [C] [G] [D] [A] [G] [A]          
{c: } 
Thanks to : http://stewartgreenhill.com/ukulele/index.html
{c: }          
{c: } 
Can't hear this without getting a lump in my throat!				




Note: Standard GCEA Usual Ukulele Tuning.

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