Australian Folk Poem: Waltzing Matilda
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited til his billy boiled
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tuckerbag
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited til his billy boiled
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thoroughbred
Down came troopers one two three
Whose that jumbuck you’ve got in the tuckerbag?
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited til his billy boiled
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong
You’ll never catch me alive said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Rhys gave me the following explanation for the song.
One of the most famous stories that every true Australian should recognize is the song Waltzing Matilda by Banjo Paterson. Briefly, the lyrics describe a tramp who camps by a creek and then steals a sheep. Three police spot him, and rather than allow himself to be captured, he commits suicide by drowning himself in a creek. While the song may seem quite morbid, it could be considered to reflect the free spirited, defiance of authority that is related to the Australian identity. My brothers and I were taught the words and sang this song during the early years of primary school. Waltzing Matilda included many Australian colloquialisms such as billabong, swagman, jumbuck and squatter.
Waltzing Matilda is probably the most famous Australian song. Australians have adopted it as their unofficial national anthem, and many times, it is sung at sporting or national events. There was a time when it actually was the Australian national anthem, but then a newer anthem was written that was deemed more politically correct and more modern. However, many Australians view Waltzing Matilda as the national hymn as it reflects the Australian spirit for defiance of authority and free spirit that Rhys mentioned above.
Indeed, Banjo Paterson wrote the song Waltzing Matilda in 1895. Paterson also wrote many other famous Australian tales and songs, including The Man from Snowy River, during the late 1800s/early 1900s. However, the above lyrics are not the lyrics of Banjo Paterson, as many Australians, Rhys included, believe. Paterson originally wrote this as a poem, and his version is very similar to this. Yet, in the early 1900s, a woman named Marie Cowan changed the lyrics slightly and set it to a musical tune that has become the popular song that is known today.
I lived in Australia for four years (March 2000-March 2004, from 6th grade-9th grade) and I was taught this version of the song, and I was told it was by Banjo Paterson. Yet, upon further research, I recently discovered that there are three versions to the song, all with the same message and meaning, but with slightly different lyrics here and there. I found these different versions on the official National Library of Australia website, yet almost every Australian tourist website lists these lyrics with Paterson as the author.
One reason I can think of for the discrepancy is that Australians truly are uneducated and dont know that there are different versions of the song. Paterson is a very famous Australian poet and he is associated with the Australian culture very much. He did come up with the first version, so Australians see no problem with associating a famous Australian poet and icon as the author to the song. They would much rather have the author of the unofficial national anthem be a famous Australian poet and legend rather than a random woman.
As for the song itself, it employs many Australian terms and lingo. A billabong is a lake and a jumbuck is a sheep. A billy is a pot and a tuckerbag is a bag that food is kept in. A squatter is a police officer while a swagman is a bush worker who usually travels throughout the country by foot looking for work and food. He is called a swagman because he carries a swag, which is a collection of small personal items needed to survive the wilderness. The glorified swagman of the song is an icon of Australia, as he represents the determination and grit of an Australian traveling the harsh outback doing anything for food, even stealing a jumbuck. He represents the defiance of authority as he jumps into the lake rather than being captured, a rebellious attitude embraced by many Australians. Waltzing Matilda is the term used when a swagman traverses the country; it is said he is waltzing matilda. Im not sure how the exact phrase came about, but that is what it means.
Interpretations of the meaning of the song to Australians can be found in the book A Guide to Australian Folklore by Gwenda Beed Davey and Graham Seal (Kangaroo Press, Published in 2003, pages 1, 120, 165, 186, 197, 201, 264). Almost an identical version of this song can be found in The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language Melvyn Bragg (Arcade Publishing, Published in 2004, pages 267-268).