Hearing the famous national song of Australia, Waltzing Matilda played, can bring many Australians to tears. For others, it can bring tears of frustration, because the true Waltzing Matilda meaning is lost in an array of Australian slang. This article will endeavour to unravel the meaning of Waltzing Matilda lyrics. It should also be pointed out that, while the song title is frequently spelled 'Waltzing Mathilda", all known Australian versions in publication use the spelling 'Matilda'.
The text of Waltzing Matilda used for this article is taken free of copyright from the Project Gutenberg site, where the words are attributed to Andrew Barton “Banjo” Paterson. This seems to be a mistake (a common one) as the words differ markedly in places from the original Paterson version and are more correctly attributed to Marie Cowan, who wrote this version in 1903. However, as this is the most commonly sung version, it is the most useful text to use for an explanation of the Australian idiom used.
Waltzing Matilda 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?"
Swagman
A swagman or swaggie was (and is) someone wandering the Australian bush, tramping from town to town, farmhouse to farmhouse, usually, but not necessarily, looking for work. In particular, during the Great Depression, unemployed men would do this, frequently working for a meal, or begging the boss for a ‘killer’, a sheep to butcher. In the UK, he might be referred to as a tramp; in the US, his equivalent is the hobo or bum. The swag is a bedroll.
Billabong
A billabong is a branch of a river that has been cut off and forms a long pool of still water.
Coolibah Tree (also Coolabah)
A hard-wooded Eucalypt (Eucalyptus Microtheca) that grows particularly well on seasonally inundated country around swamps, billabongs and lagoons and in open belts along watercourses.
Billy
Apart from his bedroll, the one absolutely essential item that a swagman carried was his billy – a ½ gallon (2 litre) can with wire handle, which might be home-made. A shop-bought billy (still readily available) has a fitted metal lid. Water was boiled in the billy and a handful of tea leaves thrown in.
Waltzing Matilda
This is perhaps the most idiosyncratic term to explain, as it has not been familiar usage in Australia for decades. Matilda was the swaggy’s affectionate name for his swag. The swag was usually tied at each end and looped over the shoulder, so that it hung diagonally across the chest or back. This may have represented the close embrace of the waltz to some (many swagmen were reputed to be mad), so the man was taking his partner on a dance around the country. It also spoke of the lack of feminine company in the lives of these loners.
Chorus
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
who’ll come a waltzing matilda with me?
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boile
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."
Jumbuck
A jumbuck is a slang expression for a sheep. According to the Australian National Dictionary, the word is itself a corruption of Aboriginal English. As the original population tried to make sense of these new creatures, they named them ‘Jump ups’.
Tucker bag
A tucker bag is any bag (usually an old sugar or flour bag) in which food is carried. Tucker is Australian slang for food – the word is probably associated with the English word ‘tuck’ as in ‘tuck in’ (eat up, ‘tuckshop’ (school canteen)
Chorus (as above)
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."
Squatter
The squatter was a wealthy landholder who usually owned thousands of acres. In the early days of the colony, farmland was claimed by marking out an area and ‘squatting’ on it. Later, such claims were formalised or re-distributed or sold piecemeal.
Troopers
Troopers, as the modern meaning of the word suggests, were an early mounted police force, recruited and led by former British military officers. One of their principal duties was protecting the far-flung squatters.
Chorus (as above)
Up jumped the swagman, leapt into the billabong.
"You'll never catch me alive," said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the billabong.
"Who'll come a-waltzing, Matilda, with me?"
(no idiom explanation needed)
Chorus (as above) To non-Australians , it must seem strange that this much-loved Australian song does not refer to the land itself, but rather mourns the suicide of a thieving vagabond. Nevertheless, it somehow speaks to the strong anti-authoritarian and independence streak in the Australian psyche, as it represents the battler struggling against the wealthy and being one with the Australian bush.
