I'm guessing that there would be very few people who ever visit my blog who would have any idea who this is, but he wrote the words of what is affectionately referred to as Australia's second National Anthem; "Waltzing Matilda". It was written in January 1895 by Andrew 'Banjo' Paterson, it was first performed at the North Gregory Hotel, Winton. They say that there are four versions of the song and it seems that there are no 'official' lyrics, but it never stops a group of proud Aussies from singing it, and we always seem to get the words right somehow!
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til 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".
"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 tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"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 shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"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".
"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".
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
"Oh, You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
"Oh, You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
4 comments:
Should be our 'official ' anthem, really, even though the words aren't suitable, as it stirs our patriotic blood like no other song, even our official anthem. :-) For those who aren't Aussies, a swagman was (not so common now) an itinerant person who travelled on foot from town to town seeking work and a 'matilda' was his swag, i.e. his rolled up bedding and few belongings that he carried on his back. Jumbuck = sheep. Billy = can for boiling water over an open fire for tea. Tucker = food. Squatter = farmer/grazier. Billabong = water hole. Banjo Paterson also wrote the poem The Man from Snowy River that the movie was based on. I must get to WInton to see this homage to Banjo some day. Nice photo, Al, with the windmill in the background.
Marvellous post.
Hi Al, What is a coolibah tree?
Coolibah (or coolabah) is one of the over 700 species of eucalypts (gum trees). Check it out on Wikipedia.
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