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?