Verse 1 (Urthboy):
I wonder what they thought
As they stood on the ship
Looking out over the docks
Where they boarded
All that was before them
Shed their fair share of leaves
And skipped autumn
Populate or perish
Yeah I think that’s what they called it
And every single passenger is tryna to get a glimpse
Of the foreign city
Holding tattered brochures
There was hope where there was none out in the roaring ocean
Looking for the bridge that’s on the posters
You would not know anything about this new land
Carrying all your possessions in your two hands
The one millionth one to land since the news stand
It was hell out on the high seas on the ship for 6 weeks
What would it have been like taking that first step
Walking into a new life, Parramatta sunset
You don’t know much more than what you read
And never knew when you headed into burbs it changes forever
Chorus (Ev Jones):
Oh Matilda, oh Matilda, oh Matilda
Do you forget everything that we have built?
Oh Matilda, Ooh Matilda
Strike a match, burn it to cinders
Oh Matilda, where do we go now, where do we go
Where do we go? where do we go now?
Verse 2 (Urthboy):
Put in government housing in exchange for their labour
You don’t need to be skilled, just some good will, work and their favour
Number of them without language, except the tongue of their father
Greek, Italian or Spanish, the older you get, the more it gets harder
Sweat drops on a factory floor
Sweat shops before they went offshore
Steel works for the manual grunts
Second job for but you’re keeping score
New developments, building roads, schools, hospitals, post codes
Needed to get the kids educated
Needed to give them a fighting chance
They will be the ones joined by people fleeing Saigon
Life and death, will someone leave the light on?
I said will someone leave the light on?
The one upon the hill before it died come on
Chorus (Ev Jones):
Oh Matilda, oh Matilda, oh Matilda
Do you forget everything that we have built?
Oh Matilda, Ooh Matilda
Strike a match, burn it to cinders
Oh Matilda, where do we go now, where do we go
Where do we go? where do we go now?
Urthboy:
We don’t know a thing about open arms, never have
You can get robbed with an open heart so you push it back
Sailed into shore with the muskets drawn, then took it by force
Never looking back, if we don’t like it, we don’t look at that
Admit it for my book, admit it we aren’t in it for the facts
Chorus (Ev Jones):
Oh Matilda, oh Matilda, oh Matilda
Do you forget everything that we have built?
Oh Matilda, Ooh Matilda
Strike a match, burn it to cinders
Oh Matilda, where do we go now, where do we go
Where do we go? where do we go now?