Waltzing Matilda

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Waltzing Matilda (1895)
lyrics by Banjo Paterson, composed by Christina Macpherson

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Folk song by Banjo Paterson, written in 1895, widely considered Australia's national song. It tells the story of an itinerant worker (a "swagman") making a drink of tea at a bush camp and stealing a sheep to eat. When police officers come to arrest him, he drowns himself in a small watering hole (a "billabong").

Tune for "Waltzing Matilda" (help | file info or download)

Christina MacphersonBanjo PatersonWaltzing Matilda189523992

$\header { title = "“Waltzing Matilda”" tagline = "" % no footer } \score { { { \new PianoStaff << { \new Staff << \time 4/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 120 \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \override Score.BarNumber #'break-visibility = #'#(#f #f #f) \key ees \major \partial 4 \relative b' { bes8 ees | g4 g8 aes f4 f8 g | ees4 g8 ees c4 ees8 ees | bes4 ees8 ees g4 ees8 ees | bes'4 aes8 g f4 ees8 f | g4 g8 aes f4 f8 g | ees4 g8 ees c4 ees8 ees | bes4 ees8 g bes4 aes8 g | f4.*2/3 ees8 f g4 ees | c'4 c4.*2/3 c8 bes g4*1/2 g | ees'4 ees4.*2/3 c8 bes g4 | bes bes c8 c bes4*1/2 aes | g4 g f f | g g8 aes f4 f8 g | ees4 g8 ees c4 ees8 ees | bes4 ees8 g bes4 aes8 g | f4.*2/3 ees8 f g4 ees \bar "||" } \addlyrics { Oh there once was a swag -- man _ camped in the bill -- a -- bong, Un -- der the shade of a Cool -- i -- bah tree, And he sang as he looked at the old bill -- y boil _ -- ing, Who’ll come a’ -- waltz -- ing Ma -- t -- il -- da with me Who’ll come a’ -- waltz -- ing Ma -- til -- da my dar -- ling Who’ll come a’ -- waltz -- ing Ma -- til -- da with me Waltz -- ing Ma -- til -- da and lead -- ing a wa -- ter- -- bag Who’ll come a’ -- waltz -- ing Ma -- til -- dt -- a with me } >> } >> } } \layout { \context { \Staff \RemoveEmptyStaves \override VerticalAxisGroup.remove-first = ##t } } \midi { } }$

Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
Who’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me

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 Matildta with me

2^nd Verse

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman & grabbed him with glee,
And he said as he put him away in the tucker bag
“You’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me”!—

Chorus: “You’ll come” etc

3^rd Verse

Down came the squatter a’riding his thoroughbred,
Down came policemen, one, two and three,
“Whose is the jumbuck you’ve got in the tucker bag?
You’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with we.”

Chorus: “You’ll come” etc

4^th verse

But the swagman he up & he jumped in the water-hole
Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree,
And his ghost may be heard as it sings by the billabong
Who’ll come a’waltzing Matilda with me.

Chorus: “Who’ll come” etc

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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