CHORUS:

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

Those of you who know the song may have not recognized the chorus. This is because I just sang you the original lyrics. Banjo Patterson sold the song, which was eventually bought by the Billy Tea company, who printed the manuscripts on the back of their tea packets. Now, they changed the lyrics of the chorus, because they didn't feel that it emphasized the whole tea drinking aspect of the song enough. This version was from one of the earliest recordings, done on wax cylinders, and the second verse and chorus sounded a little something like this.

Second Verse

Up came the jumbuck to drink at the waterhole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee;
And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

CHORUS:

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
And he sang as he sat and waited til his billy boiled.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

The song was not a financial success. It probably would have died right there, if it hadn't been for the unlikely interception of the two world wars. And as the Anzacs went off to fight for their liberty in Gallipoli, the Somme, and many other places, they sang as the marched. Incidentally, this is probably why if you hear the song today, it has a very military style anthemic rhythm

Third Verse

Up came the squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;
Up came policemen - one, two and three.
Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

CHORUS

To return to the plot, our swagman has poached a sheep and has just gotten arrested by the cops. Back then, sheep rustling was a capital offence, and the most likely outcome was a cold jail cell followed by the gallows. In defiance of this, the Swagman jumps into the Billabong and drowns himself. It's the proper Australian Ideal of ``it's better to die free than live in chains''. This is one of the many reasons why Waltzing Matilda nearly became Australia's official National Anthem, but was beaten by the gutless ``Advance Australia Fair''. Probably because Waltzing Matilda emphasizes the whole \fIcriminal\fP aspect of Australia a bit too much. The other reason why Waltzing Matilda is such a classic is that it can convey pretty much any emotion that you want it to. I've just stirred you off to war, but in this last verse, which I've arranged, I'll show you how this song can take on a completely different feel.

Fourth Verse

Up sprang the swagman and jumped in the waterhole,
Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree;
And his voice can be heard as it sings in the billabongs,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?'

Now, the plot of the song itself may have a sad ending, but the story of the song doesn't. In the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, when Marjorie Jackson won gold in both the 100 and 200 metres, she went up to the middle pedestal, expecting to hear Advance Australia Fair.

Fourth Chorus

Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
And he sang as he sat and waited til his billy boiled.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.

And that's the story of Waltzing Matilda.