Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
you’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me—-Slim Dusty, Waltzing Matilda
Streetcar, Dallas, Texas
Waltzing Matilda
Those words may have been sung by Slim Dusty but the original was a poem written by Andrew “Banjo” Paterson (17 February 1864 – 5 February 1941) an iconic Australian bush poet and author.
That’s interesting. So many of these iconic songs have a long history – often confusing. Here in my part of the world we have music attributed to Leadbelly that is still popular (Midnight Special, Goodnight Irene, House of the Rising Sun, or check out youtube for Kurt Cobain singing “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” on unplugged) – these songs had been handed down to him from generations past.
A rich musical history for sure, it is important to keep traditions going. A modern touch does make them more accessible for today’s audience, and I guess those lyrics would be out of copyright 😉