Lyrics for I Was Only 19 as interpreted by psychochicken

I Was Only 19 Lyrics
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, and it was me who drew the card.
We did Canungra, 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 nineteen.

From Vung Tau, riding Chinooks, to the dust at Nui Dat
I'd been in and out of choppers now for months.
But we made our tents a home, VB and pinups on the lockers
And an Agent Orange sunset through the scrub.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep?
And night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only ninteen.

A four week operation when each step could mean your last one on two legs
It was a war within yourself.
But you wouldn't let your mates down til they had you dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.

Then someone yelled "Contact!" and the bloke behind me swore
We hooked in there for hours, then a Godalmighty roar
Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon,
God help me, he was going home in June.

I can still see Frankie, drinking tinnies in the Grand Hotel
On a thirty-six hour rec leave in Vung Tau
And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle
Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row.

And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears
And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite real.
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel
God help me, I was only nineteen.

And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, I was only nineteen.



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psychochicken
04-14-2002

 Rated  +1 
this is the song that has to most meaning to me, it represents all that returned vietnam vets have been through, and just the general futility of war

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Arianrhod
06-17-2003

 Rated  +1 
John Schumann of Redgum:
"We've just put out a single called "I Was Only 19" or "A Walk in the Light Green" and, ah, it's a song about two mates of mine who went to Vietnam and came back Agent Orange victims. It's, ah, the title "A Walk in the Light Green" stems from the fact that, when the Australian soldiers in Vietnam were given their missions they looked at the areas that they'd be working in on the map, and if ah, it was sort of dark green on the map, there was cause for some consolation, 'cause dark green meant thick jungle, lots of cover and there were no mines. If they were working in areas that were light green on the map, that meant light jungle, not much cover and heaps of mines."

Puckapunyal is an army training base in Victoria, Canungra and Shoalwater are bases that provide specialist training in jungle warfare.
Vung Tau and Nui Dat are cities in Vietnam.
Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the original name given to the forces that landed on Gallipoli Beach in World War One.
Agent Orange was a herbicide used to kill the jungle to reduce the cover.

This song reduced me to tears the first time I heard it. My Dad played it for me, and we both sobbed. Though he didn't go to Vietnam, he's old enough to have friends who did, and who have had their lives destroyed by that war.

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J0K3R
04-03-2005

 Rated  0 
yeh, i like this song in what it is about, it needed to be said. it still gts radio play and i think that is important.

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COF4eva
12-30-2005

 Rated  0 
This song means alotv to me because military runs in my families blood.
i have a rele that was killed in the american civil wars another was captured by the Japanese in WW2 and another was at Pearl Habour when it was bombed. they are the bad stories of my families military service. so my family has a very long military service record and i intend to keep the record going when i try for a 2nd time to get into the Australian army. btw im only 17 i could be in a war my self in 2 yrs if that is what the future holds

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m_rkeys
04-26-2006

 Rated  0 
I'm curious about the 'we hooked in there for hours' part. It mentions 6th btn and Nui Dat. Does this mean that this part of the song is about Long Tan, were D company was up against an entire regiment of NVA?

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1 Reply  · 
caligem
08-23-2006

 Rated  0 
This is a brilliant song, made me cry the first time I heard it. I think it should be played more often, particularly on ANZAC day and stuff... I think it really creates an image of the reality of war, and the lasting impact on the soldiers. An absolute classic.

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Billah
03-06-2007

 Rated  0 
its fantastic.
really sad but it needs to be heard.
i love it.
i love the heard's cover of it too

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1 Reply  · 
huggies
03-20-2007

 Rated  0 
A four week operation when each step could mean your last one on two legs
It was a war within yourself.
But you wouldn't let your mates down til they had you dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about something else.

that verse sums up mateship for me, great song

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age635
04-08-2007

 Rated  0 
I always cry when i hear that song. Because of the Vietnam war I really love it.

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Gaz_182
09-29-2007

 Rated  0 
It's about suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or "shell-shock".

"And can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep?
And night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?"

Fairly self-explanatory.

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emsiome
08-04-2008

 Rated  0 
i heard this as i little kid and i didn't know what it meant but i still got emotional. when i grew up and understood what it was about i cried for an hour or so. and just recently it was on tv and i cried the i had about the song. what those men went through would haunt us to the bone. :( god bless those men that fought in that war.

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beegirl
03-04-2009

 Rated  0 
I love this song. I's so sad what they went through... :( I'm an Air Force Cadet :)

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General Comment
scmckenna
05-09-2009

 Rated  0 
wow. this is so much different to the herds copy... i expected more similarities but i guess the herds version is attempting to put it into perspective for younger people.
it's brilliant of course... both of them

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General Comment
huntingbears86
04-11-2010

 Rated  0 
i saw the Herd perform their version of this a couple of years ago, and to my enjoyment John Schumann of Redgum came out on stage and sang along with them. My father met John years ago in Adeliade at his wedding (friend of a friend) and he is a bloody top bloke, and a brilliant song writer

this is one of my favourite songs of all time, timeless classic

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General Comment
rawill
04-21-2010

 Rated  0 
An important song for all people to think about

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General Comment
BJS
04-23-2010

 Rated  0 

i'm just about to turn 16 and i played this song as a solo in front of my school today for anzac day. i was nervous as all hell before but pulled it off and i believe it was the best singing/performance ive ever done (even my principle commented). when i played it i swear you could have heard a pin drop in that hall and i'm glad at least a few of the 800 odd that listened and understood a bit of respect for our diggers. good on you all.

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General Comment
BJS
04-23-2010

 Rated  0 
BEEGIRL...

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General Comment
Chookster25
06-19-2010

 Rated  0 
I am 11 years old and I listened to this song quite recently and it made me really think about what those poor soldiers went through. My pop was a Vietnam Vet and I never really thought about what it was like. But it is hard to imagine being at Vietnam, knowing everyday could be your last...

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My Opinion
Tigerchild
07-16-2010

 Rated  0 
My grade 6 class performed this song for ANZAC day and to help with our performance our teachers explained to us what the different parts of the song meant. i was fighting not to cry and when the played it for us for the first time it had so much more meaning. Every time i hear this song it reminds me of that day and of my granparents who fought in the war. and i now think of my brother who wiil be sent on the current war very soon. i am scared for him everyday even though he hasn't left yet. I LOVE THIS SONG and it has so much meaning!!

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General Comment
TamaraFrances
07-26-2010

 Rated  +1 
The first time I heard this song I was in year 12, and I was part of a drama ensemble. We were exploring the breakdown of communication over the generations and the different views people had, we had decided to use WW2 and Vietnam returning soldiers to illustrate our point. On principle I don't agree with war, but people who have gone to fight do deserve our respect for doing their jobs and surviving, what would have to be horrible situations and experiences. This song reminds me not only of the reality of war but also the suffering people who go to war are put through and every-time I listen to it I cry and think about all the people like "Frankie" or the narrator of the song, who either died, were injured physically and emotionally.

They all deserve our understanding and respect and for me that is what this song is, a reminder to show understanding and respect for courageous men and women who serve in the armed forces.

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General Comment
Tommo69r
08-28-2010

 Rated  0 
What I like about this song is that it says to USA that your not the only ones that fought in vietnam

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General Comment
macman2511
04-18-2011

 Rated  0 
The Herd version of this is a fucking joke.

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My Opinion
sadman11
05-24-2011

 Rated  -1 
THAT IS THE WORST SONG EVER MADE. I HATE YOU ALL. GET A LIFE!!

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1 Reply  ·  My Opinion
qsilentq
07-11-2011

 Rated  0 
This is a great song, but why is it the only commented-on song here? Redgum wrote heaps of great songs!

- qsq


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General Comment
NickName3
11-06-2011

 Rated  0 
to me, this is about a person who was forced to go to war due to conscription at the age of 19. after leaving his family and friends back in Australia, his only companionship were these strangers who were in the same position as he was. the walk in the light green is the jungle that mainly had the land mines and is mentioned when "frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon". as the song progresses and he arrives back home from the terrors of the war, the ANZACs were left to fend for themselves back into society and the outcomes that followed like the use of Agent Orange leading to "the rash that comes and goes" and his post-traumatic stress disorder "can you tell me, doctor, why I stil can't get to sleep; and night-time's just a jungle dark and a barking M16?"


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1 Reply  ·  General Comment




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