Waltzing Matilda (Arr. Koncz)

The most recognized Australian folk song, "Waltzing Matilda" is filled with argot specific to that country. The song is about a swagman (itinerant worker) who sets up camp near a billabong (small lake formed by a river) and starts to boil water in his billy (a tin pot for boiling water and basic cooking, one waits for it to boil). When a stray jumpbuck (sheep) comes down to the billabong for a drink, he grabs it and throws it in his tucker bag (food bag) to eat later. The squatter (land owner) sees him and the troopers (police) come to question him. He evades them by jumping in the billabong, but his plan is flawed: he can't swim. He drowns, and now his ghost inhabits the billabong.

The "swag" is the collection of items a swagman carries in his travels, typically in a pack of some kind. He calls his swag "Matilda," and "waltzing" means walking, so "Waltzing Matilda" means he is walking with his stuff. There are various legends that explain how the swag came to be named "Matilda." One popular story states that this swagman's wife was named Matilda, and when she died, he named it after her in her memory.

Like many folk songs originating in the 1800s, the origins of "Waltzing Matilda" are murky. According to the Australian historian Roger Clarke, who culled the Australian National Library for information, the song was written in 1985, with lyrics by a poet named Banjo Paterson and music by a musician named Christina Macpherson. Paterson was not a Swagman, but was traveling with fiancee in Queensland, and came across Macpherson when they stopped in Dagworth Station for a stay. Paterson heard the term "Waltzing Matilda" during his stay, and when he came across a water hole on the grounds, he made up the story.