Waltzing Mathilda

An Australian folk song

A swagman

• This a real swagman (in Australian) or hobo (in English).

• He carries a « swag », a bag or a rolled blanket.

What’s the English for these Australian words?

• a billy• A jumbuck• A swag• A swagman

The story

• "Waltzing Matilda" is Australia’s most famous folk song, so famous that it is nearly their national anthem. But Australia’s national anthem is « Advance Australia Fair »

• The song narrates the story of an itinerant worker making a drink of tea at a bush camp and stealing a sheep to eat. When the sheep's owner arrives with three police officers to arrest the worker, he drowns himself in a small lake and goes on to haunt the site.

He camps by a billabong…

• A billabong.

• What’s the English for « billabong »?

…under the shade of a coolabah tree…

• A coolabah tree.

The song• 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"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Along came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong,Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,And he sang as he stowed 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 stowed 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,"Whose is that 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""Whose is that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?","You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up jumped the swagman and leapt into the billabong,"You'll never catch me alive," said he,And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing MatildaWho'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with meAnd his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

For more information…

• You’ll find lots of information on the origins of the song, the translation of Australian words and the different interpretations and versions on the Internet:

• http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda• And if you want to hear different versions: • http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/5-s

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