Traditional Folk Music - songs & tunes popular in the 60's folk revival
Songs and tunes with sheet music, lyrics, chords and midi music
Waltzing Matilda |
TML # 010721 |
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| A swagman (rover) camps by a pool. He sees a sheep come down to drink, and grabs it. He is spotted by three troopers, who call on him to justify his actions. Rather than face up to his crime, the swagman drowns himself in the pool Officially credited to A. B. "Banjo" Patterson (1864-1941), who claims to have written it in 1894, but this is dubious. For one thing, he told several different stories of its origin. Also, the lyric form is derived directly from "The Bold Fusilier," dated by its reference to Marlborough to the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714): A bold Fusilier was marching down through Rochester Bound for the wars in the low country And he cried as he tramped through the dear streets of Rochester "Wha'll be a sodjer for Marlborough and me? Wha'll be a sodjer, wha'll be a sodjer, Wha'll be a sodjer for Marlborough and me?" And he cried as he tramped through the dear streets of Rochester, "Wha'll be a sodjer for Marlborough and me?" In addition, the song is known in variant forms in oral tradition (Australians seem reluctant to sing these variants, but John Greenway recorded one for Folkways. John Meredith, who collected a version, reports that his informants learned it in the 1880s.). It has also been pointed out that Paterson never wrote anything else of any quality. The most likely explanation is that Paterson took an existing piece,touched it up, and made it popular in the world at large. Even his own story hints at this: He allegedly wrote the story based on an event which took place near his girlfriend's home (though the event has not been confirmed historically), and a local girl (Marie Cowan) gave him this tune. The tune has also been called "Thou Bonnie Woods of Craigie Lee" (the title which Paterson originally put to the tune), sometimes credited to James Barr or to Harry Nathan (so Mendelsohn, 1966), and reportedly first printed in 1818 -- but the air usually used for "Craigielea" is emphatically not "The Bold Fusilier" or "Walting Matilda." |
Once a jolly swagman sat beside the billabong, Under the shade of a coulibah tree, And he sang as he sat and waited by the billabong Who'll come a waltzing matilda with me. CHOR: Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda You'll come a waltzing matilda with me And he sang as he sat and waited by the billabong You'll come a waltzing matilda with me. Down came a jumbuck to drink beside the billabong Up jumped the swagman and seized him with glee And he sang as he tucked jumbuck in his tuckerbag You'll come a waltzing matilda with me. |
Down came the stockman, riding on his thoroughbred, Down came the troopers, one, two, three. "Where's the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tuckerbag? You'll come a waltzing matilda with me. Up jumped the swagman and plunged into the billabong, "You'll never catch me alive," cried he And his ghost may be heard as you ride beside the billabong, You'll come a waltzing matilda with me. |
| This royalty free score was generated by the Traditional Music Library On Line Tunebook (Shareware Version). As-is copies of this score may be freely distributed. Further info from WWW.TRADITIONALMUSIC.CO.UK |