April 25, ANZAC Day.
Doesn’t ring a bell? John at Argghhh!!! does an amazing job of explaining a treasured day of some of our staunchest friends and allies, those blokes in Australia and New Zealand.
As for me, I’ll mark the with the haunting Gallipoli-based tune “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by the Pogues.
And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, “What are they marching for?”
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all
[full lyrics can be found here]