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From: temom
Date: 04-18-2007, 10:08 AM (1 of 5)
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I have the song Waltzing Matilda running through my head. Why/how/what is the scoop that that song is so popular and strongly defended? Son is studying Australia, and the kids have a choice - take the unit test or stand in front of the class and sing Waltzing Matilda solo and a capella. Son will be performing about 3:00 this afternoon 
Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410 
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From: PaulineG
Date: 04-18-2007, 06:15 PM (2 of 5)
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Well... First of all for those who don't know the words (and to jog my memory as I write). 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. There are actually a few versions of this song - the original was written by Banjo Patterson in the 1890s. This is not the original but (I think better) is the more popular version and the one that you hear performed wherever Aussies are trying to give a sense of their identity. Quick translation: Swagman - wandering worker (swag is a blanket roll or bedding they would carry on their back) Billabong - small lake (aboriginal word) Billy - tin bucket used to boil water Jumbuck - sheep Tuckerbag - food bag (tucker being slang for food) Squatter - owner of large piece of land Trooper - policeman I think the reason it is popular is the idea Australians like to have of being so anti-authoritarian/establishment. Rebels if you like. This stems from the fact that we were originally set up as a penal colony and a lot of the authorities at that time were fairly corrupt. And the feeling is (true or not) that the majority of those who were sent out as convicts were guilty of only minor transgressions. I know that before the convicts were sent to Australia a lot were being sent to the US. It is my understanding though that on the whole they were "indentured" to individuals. When they were sent to Australia certainly some were allocated to indivudals but they were also used a lot for public works and kept in large groups. This enabled a feeling of camaraderie and rebellion against authority to breed amongst them. It also helped that a good number of them were Irish political prisoners. So Australians like to have a romantic view of their forebears (and themselves for that matter) as underdogs fighting against the odds. Along with the concept of romanticising the bush life (although most live in cities) it has become part of the "identity". It is of course both simpler and more complicated than this but that would make this answer even longer and more boring. A good analogy (not specifically for the swagman - more the general perception of identity) would be Robin Hood. Hard done by but basically good man - robbing from the idle and corrupt rich and giving to and looking after the poor and downtrodden. Hope your son manages without too much stage fright. Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: temom
Date: 04-18-2007, 06:49 PM (3 of 5)
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Pauline, that was an excellent and interesting history lesson. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it. That version is the song that my son sang, and done in a soprano is beautiful. He got a 100, by the way. I'm so proud! Theresa
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User: temom
Member since: 01-19-2007 Total posts: 410
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From: dmoses
Date: 04-18-2007, 07:08 PM (4 of 5)
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Got this from Wikipedia...I know that it isn't always reliable, but this sounds like it may be plausible... Waltzing Matilda from the above terms, "to waltz Matilda" is to travel with a swag, that is, with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth. The exact origins of the term "Matilda" are disputed; one fanciful derivation states that when swagmen met each other at their gatherings, there were rarely women to dance with. Nonetheless, they enjoyed a dance, and so they danced with their swags, which was given a woman's name. However, this appears to be influenced by the word "waltz", hence the introduction of dancing. It seems more likely that, as a swagman's only companion, the swag came to be personified as a woman. Another explanation is that the term also derives from German immigrants. German soldiers commonly referred to their greatcoats as "Matilda," supposedly because the coat kept them as warm as a woman would. Early German immigrants who "went on the waltz" would wrap their belongings in their coat, and took to calling it by the same name their soldiers had used. Take care,
Donna |
User: dmoses
Member since: 02-22-2002 Total posts: 964 
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From: lendube
Date: 04-18-2007, 07:49 PM (5 of 5)
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Quick translation: Swagman - wandering worker (swag is a blanket roll or bedding they would carry on their back) Billabong - small lake (aboriginal word) Billy - tin bucket used to boil water Jumbuck - sheep Tuckerbag - food bag (tucker being slang for food) Squatter - owner of large piece of land Trooper - policeman That's so interesting, Pauline! Now here in "American" a Swagman would be a Hobo most likely. Most common during the depression. Billabong is a brand of surfer/skater clothing. Billy is a male goat. Squatter is a person who doesn't own the land but camps out/stays there anyway. Trooper is a policeman usually on the highways as in State Trooper. Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
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