And a true classic from the pen of John Schumann. Regards, John.

1. Mum and Dad and Denny saw the passing out parade at Puckapunyal,
The 6th Battalion was the next to tour and it was me who drew the card,
We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left.

Chorus 1
And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the quay,
The clipping from the paper shows the young and strong and clean,
And there's me in my slouch hat and S.L.R. and greens,
God help me. I was only nineteen.

2. 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, V.B., and pinups on the lockers,
And an Asian orange surise through the scrub.

Chorus 2.
And can you tell me. doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?

And night time's just a jungle dark and a barking M- 16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means?
God help me, l was only nineteen.

3. A four week operation, when each step can 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.

Chorus 3.
Then someone yelled out "Contact'' and the bloke behind me swore.
We hooked in there for hours then a god almighty roar.
Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the moon
God help me, he was going home in June.

4. l 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.

Chorus 4.
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. l was only nineteen.

Chorus 5.
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.

MIDI file: only19.mid

Timebase: 120

TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: A
Tempo: 116 (517241 microsec/crotchet)
Name: I Was Only 19 (Redgum)
Start
0120 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 71 064 0120 0 71 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0180 0 72 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0180 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 72 064 0120 0 72 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 72 064 0120 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 73 064 0060 0 73 000 0000 1 69 064 0180 0 69 000 0660 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0120 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0120 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 72 064 0120 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0120 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 72 064 0060 0 72 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0180 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0180 1 69 064 0060 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0120 0 69 000 0000 1 67 064 0060 0 67 000 0000 1 67 064 0120 0 67 000 0000 1 67 064 0060 0 67 000 0000 1 71 064 0120 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 69 064 0120 0 69 000 0300 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 78 064 0120 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0180 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0180 0 78 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0240 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 78 064 0120 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0060 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0180 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0060 0 78 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0300 1 78 064 0060 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0120 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0120 0 78 000 0060 1 78 064 0060 0 78 000 0000 1 78 064 0060 0 78 000 0000 1 76 064 0180 0 76 000 0000 1 76 064 0120 0 76 000 0120 1 76 064 0060 0 76 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0060 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0120 0 74 000 0000 1 74 064 0180 0 74 000 0000 1 73 064 0060 0 73 000 0000 1 73 064 0180 0 73 000 0240 1 73 064 0060 0 73 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0180 0 71 000 0600 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0060 0 71 000 0000 1 71 064 0180 0 71 000 0000 1 73 064 0060 0 73 000 0000 1 73 064 0120 0 73 000 0000 1 71 064 0120 0 71 000 0000 1 69 064 0120 0 69 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:I Was Only 19 (Redgum)
M:4/4
Q:1/4=116
K:A
A3AAB2=c|=c3e3ed|-ddd3ddd|-d=c2B=c2=cc|A8|
-A6AA|-AAA2AAB=c|-=c=c=c2=c=c=cd|-dd2d2ddd|
-d4AAAA|A4AA2=G|=G2=GB2BA2|-A5e2e|-ee2e2ee2|
e3ef2f2|-ff3eee2|-e5e2e|e3e2ee2|e3e2f2f|f3fe2e2|
-e6ff|-ff3ffe2|-ee4edd|d2d3cc2|-c5cBB|B8|
-B5BBB|-B2cc2B2A|-A||