Liberal Arts Blog — “Waltzing Matilda” — Australia’s Unofficial National Anthem
Liberal Arts Blog — Thursday is Joy of Music Day
Today’s Topic — “Waltzing Matilda” — Australia’s unofficial national anthem
Do Australians speak English? Seriously. What is a jumbuck? A billabong? A tucker bag? if you heard some Australians singing their favorite bush ballad, you might think twice before going Down Under without a bilingual dictionary. The song is distinguished from other songs on this list by its humor. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
THE LYRICS: the swagman, the billabong, the billy, the tucker bag
1.) 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.”
2.) Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda,You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his “Billy” boiled, “You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me.”
3.) 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 tucker bag, “You’ll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me.”
NB: “Down came the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred. Down came the troopers, one, two, and three. “Whose is that jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag? 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.”
TRANSLATING FROM AUSTRALIAN TO ENGLISH
1. “Waltz” — traveling while working as a craftsman, learning new skills as you go
2. “Swagman” = hobo, swag = bedding carried on back rolled up to carry all his belongings
3. “Jumbuck” = sheep; “billabong” = oxbow lake; billy = can for boiling water.
NB: “Tucker bag” — bag for holding food, “squatter” = rich landowner
A BIT OF HISTORY — WORLD WAR ONE AND WORLD WAR TWO BROUGHT THE SONG TO A WIDER WORLD
1. Written in 1895 by poet Banjo Patterson, (above), sheet music first published in 1903, first recorded in 1926 by John Collinson, a British soldier horribly injured while serving in the Australian army at the Battle of the Somme during World War One.
2. The swagman’s story may be based on the 1891 suicide of a striking sheep-shearer who preferred death to capture by the police. Or not.
3. Australia’s most recorded song, its lyrics are apparently “hidden microscopically in the background pattern” of the back pages of Australian passports.
NB: “Waltzing Matilda” inspired the Vietnam-era anti-war song, “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda” by Eric Bogle which tells the story of the maiming of an Australian soldier during the Gallipoli campaign in World War One.
Waltzing Matilda — Johnny Cash
1891 Australian shearers’ strike
The British soldier who first recorded Waltzing Matilda
And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda ~ John Williamson
Eric Bogle — The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
APPENDIX: Keys to the Hearts of Seven Billion People — Past Posts in This Series
This is the list of songs with which, now masked and distanced, I greet tourists from around the world at the North Bridge in Concord or wherever I else I happened to meet them — eg. waiting in line at grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, or the Department of Motor Vehicles.
4/9/20 — Nkosi — South African National Anthem
4/16/20 — Sweet Mother — unofficial national Anthem of Nigeria
4/23/20 — Jambo — the Swahili equivalent — Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda
4/30/20 — Sakura — Japan — the cherry blossom song
5/7/20 — Arirang — Korea (North and South)
5/14/20 — Chuang Tian — China — Li Bai — Gong Linna
5/21/20 — Ode to Joy — German — Beethoven/Schiller
5/28/20 — La Marseillaise — French — France plus many more french-speaking nations
6/4/20 — Volare — Italian — Domenico Modugno
6/11/20 — Arrorro and Cielito Lindo — Spanish speakers
6/18/20 — La Garota de Ipanema — Brazil and other Portuguese speakers
6/22/20 — Gayatri Mantra — Hindus
7/2/20 — Pokarekare Ana — Maori — New Zealand
7/9/20 — Aseda Yede Ma Onyame — Ghana
7/16/20 — “Al Fatihah” — most sacred Islamic prayer (Arabic)
7/23/20 — “Tavaszi Szel” — Hungarian Folk Song
7/30/20 — “Modeh Ani” — the Jewish Waking Up Prayer
8/6/20 — “Stolat, Stolat” — Polish Birthday Song
8/20/20 — “Lang Zal Ze Leven” — Dutch Birthday Song
8/27/20 — “Oh Danny Boy” — Ireland
9/3/20 — “Mul Mantra” — most sacred Sikh prayer
9/10/20 — “Warwindar Friska” — Swedish song of spring
9/17/20 — “Desteapta-te Romane!” — Romanian national anthem
9/24/20 — “Kad Ja Podjoh Na Bembasu” — Bosnian folk song of lost love
10/1/20 — “Waltzing Matilda” — Australia
I feel strongly that the core humanities curriculum of every school in the world should consist of the most beloved songs of the world’s peoples. Music unites. The opportunity cost of any other texts is infinite. Why not give every 18 year old the keys to hearts of seven billion people? I am not sure this is the perfect list. But I have spent 10 years testing the hypothesis. And the results are not scientific but they are pretty convincing. Proposals welcome. Here is a link to the last three years of posts organized by theme:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wtwclP5iPcc-0MnL0NhKBMaWAUMrHkwN
YOUR TURN
Time to share the coolest thing you learned in the last week related to music. Or the coolest thing you learned in your life related to music. Say your favorite song or songs. Or your favorite tips for breathing, posture, or relaxation. Or some insight into the history of music….Or just something random about music… like a joke about drummers. jazz, rock….or share an episode or chapter in your musical autobiography.
This is your chance to make someone else’s day. And perhaps to cement in your memory something important you would otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than you otherwise would about something that matters to you.
