I Was Only 19 Chords

Lyrics & chords

[Intro 1]
[Am][C][G][D][Am][G]
[Am]

[Verse 1]
Mum and Dad and [C]Danny
saw the [G]passing out [D]parade at Puckapun[Am]yal
It was a long [G]march from [Am]cadets
The sixth battalion was [C]next to tour,
it was [G]me who drew the [D]card
We [Am]did[G]
Canungra, Shoalwater, before [Am]we left

[Verse 2]
[Am]
And [E]Townsville lined the footpaths as
we [D]marched down to [Am]the quay
This [E]clipping from the paper shows a
[D]youngon', strong and cle[Am]an
And [D]there's me with me [Am]slouch hat,
[D]my SLR and [A]greens
[E]God help me - I was only nineteen
[D]

[Verse 3]
[Am]From Vung Tau [C]riding Chinooks
to the dust [G]at Nui [D]Dat
I'd been [Am]in and out of
[G]choppers now for [Am]months
We made our tents [C]a home,
[G]V.B. and pinups on the [D]lockers
And an [Am]Asian orange [G]sunset
through the scrub
[Am]

[Verse 4]
And [E]can you tell me, doctor,
why [D]I can't get to sleep?[Am]
And [E]night time's just a jungle
dark and a [D]barking [Am]M.16?
And [D]what's this rash that [A]comes and goes,
[Am]can you [D]tell me what it mean[A]s?[Am]
[A]God [E]help me - I was only nineteen
[D]

[Verse 5]
A [Am]four week oper[C]ation,
any [G]step could be [D]your last one on [Am]two legs
It was a [G]war within your[Am]self
But you wouldn't let [C]your mates down
'til they [G]had you dusted [D]off
So you [Am]closed your eyes and you
[G]thought about somethin' else
[Am]

[Verse 6]
Then [E]someone yelled out "Contact",
and the [D]bloke behind [A]me swore
We [E]hooked in there for hours,
then a [D]God almighty [Am]roar[A]
[D]Frankie kicked the [Am]mine the day [D]that
mankind kicked [Am]the moon
God [E]help me - he was goin' home in [D]June

[Interlude 1]
[Am][C][G][D]
[Am][G][Am][C][G][D]
[Am][G][Am]

[Verse 7]
[Am]I can still see Fr[C]ankie,
[G]drinkin' tinnies in the [D]Grand Hotel
[Am]On a thirty- six hour re[G]c.
leave in Vun[Am]g Tau
And I can still hear [C]Frankie,
lyin' [G]screamin' in the [D]jungle
[Am]'Til the morphine came and
[G]killed the [Am]bloody row

[Verse 8]
[Am]
And the [E]Anzac legends didn't
mention [D]mud and blood [A]and [Am]tears
And [E]the stories that my father told
me [D]never seemed quite [Am]real
And I [D]caught some pieces [A]in my back that I'd

[Outro 1]
[D][A][Am][E][D]
[E][D][A][Am]
[A][E][D][Am][D][A][D][A]
[E][D]
[Am][C][G][D][Am][G][Am]
[C][G][D][Am][G][Am]