Welcome to a forgotten corner of the ancient forest.
Every Australian knows our national anthem and it is not Advance Australia Fair. That is just some phoney nationalistic claptrap thought up by bureaucrats and very few Australian know more than the first line or two.
Our real national anthem is Waltzing Matilda. It is the song that is guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of every expatriate. It is the signature tune of the Australian Army and it is the song that we all know the words to.
The song celebrates an incident involving an itinerant worker, know as a “swagman” after the “swag” of rolled up blankets they carried. The “swag” was also known as a “matilda” from Teutonic origin meaning Mighty Battle Maiden. These were women that followed the soldiers into battle and kept them warm at night, amongst other things.
These men lived lonely lives tramping the Australian bush looking for itinerant work, this was know as "waltzing" also from the German auf der walz meaning on the tramp. The title and lyrics refer to the swagman wandering through the Australian bush. It became known as being "on the wallaby track"
The song tells the story of him camped by a water hole when he stumbles on a stray sheep. He catches it for later consumption. When cornered by police he chooses to commit suicide rather than deal with the police.
That it is the most poignant song to most Australians is an social comment in itself.
Waltzing Matilda
by A. B. "Banjo" Paterson
Oh! there once was a swagman camped in a Billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree;
And he sang as he looked at his old billy boiling,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling?
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag --
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water-hole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee;
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker-bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Down came the Squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;
Down came troopers -- one, two and three.
"Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"
But the swagman he up and he jumped in the water-hole,
You'll never take me alive says he;
And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Published as sheet music in 1903
Saltbush Bill, J.P., and Other Verses, 1917
* swagman: an intinerant farmhand,
* billabong: water hole, often the last water in a dried up creek
* coolibah tree: Eucalypt (Eucalyptus microtheca), common in inland Australia,
* billy: a billy is a tin can used to heat water over a campfire to make tea, thought to be a corruption of "bully" from the Bully Beef tins they were originally made from
* jumbuck: sheep, Aboriginal corruption of "jump up"
* tucker-bag: bag or box used to store tucker (food)
* squatter: farmer/grazier who squatted or illegally occupied land. Squatters went on to become the landed gentry of Australia
* trooper: policeman or soldier on horseback
There are many jewels hidden amongst the leaves in this forgotten part of the ancient forest. Spend some time browsing and you are sure to find some. Click here or continue your search below
or read the most recent entries here.I'm a "Yank" who grew up in a family of singers and one of the songs we sang was "Waltzing Matilda."
It was sort of a rite of passage in our family when the elders told you what the words meant. Of course, being as far away as we were(Florida), we got some of the meanings wrong. Since I do the song on stage, I looked it up to get the story on it (That's how I found out that a "billabong" is not a "spring.") I found out all sorts of interesting things about the origins and development of the song, which I include in my performance.
In the original version there is a phrase: "leading a waterbag"
You know, every other term in the song is defined: swagman, billabong,jumbuck.....
What the heck is "leading a waterbag," mates?
John Gillmore
Posted by: John Gillmore at July 7, 2006 11:14 PMa water bag is a canvas bag, rectangular in shape with all the sides sealed but with one corner open and closed with a cap. Filled with water the water slowly seeps through the canvas and evaporates keeping the contents cool. So you can have a cold drink on the hottest day.
Posted by: James at July 23, 2007 09:21 PM
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