Once a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
"who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Down come a jumback to drink a the water hole
Up jumped a swagman and grabbed him in glee
And he sang as he stowed him away in his tucker bag
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me".
Up rode the Squatter a riding his thoroughbred
up rode the Trooper - one, two, three
"Where's that jumback you've got in your tucker bag?"
But the swagman he up and jumped in the water hole
drowning himself by the coolabuh tree'
And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong,
"Who'll come a-waltzing matilda with me?"
A.B. (Bango) Paterson
- Billabong
- A waterhole.
- Billy
- A can or small kettle used to boil water for tea.
- Coolabah tree
- A type of native tree in Australia.
- Jumbuck
- A sheep. There are 20 times as many sheep as there are people in Australia.
- Squatter
- At one time, squatters claimed (siezed) land for themselves in addtion to land that they had been grated. Eventually through the continuous occupation of the land, their claims were legitimized in the eyes of the law.
- Swagman
- Someone who lives on the open road. A hobo. The term came from the canvas bag that they would carry their bedrol and/or belongings in.
- Trooper
- In Australia's early days, there was no police force. The colony was protected by anbd policed by soldiers and even when a police force was eventually formed, they were still referred to as 'troopers'.
- Tucker bag
- A bag for storing food in the bush.