The swagman is not allocated a name. There is, however, a standing joke that his name was "Andy", due to the line: "And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled..."
Once a jolly swagman sat beside the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree,And he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Down came a jumbuck to drink beside the billabongUp jumped the swagman and seized him with gleeAnd he sang as he tucked jumbuck in his tuckerbagYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'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 meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Up jumped the swagman and plunged into the billabong,"You'll never catch me alive," cried heAnd his ghost may be heard as you ride beside the billabong,You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Second Version of Waltzing MatildaOnce a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong Under the shade of a Coolabah treeAnd he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"Down come a jumbuck to drink at the water holeUp jumped a swagman and grabbed him in gleeAnd 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 thoroughbredUp rode the Trooper - one, two, three"Where's that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?","You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me".But the swagman he up and jumped in the water holeDrowning himself by the Coolabah tree,And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong,"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Waltzing Matilda is not a person. A Matilda was a swag, or the simple, basic belongings that a swagman carried with him as he roamed the Australian bush or outback, looking for work or a handout. A Matilda usually consisted of nothing more than a blanket, a billy and/or cooking pot, and maybe a spare shirt, if he was lucky. To go "waltzing Matilda" with someone was a colloquialism for joining a swagman on his travels, living free and unencumbered on the bush road.
Waltzing Matilda is a poem and a song which was first performed at the North Gregory Hotel in Winton, Queensland.
Waltzing Matilda is considered an old country Australian folk song and a bush ballad.
Waltzing Matilda is considered the non-official Australian anthem.
The swagman in Waltzing Matilda caries a swag, which is simply a bundle with all his possessions.
In the song "Waltzing Matilda," three squatters attempted to capture the jolly swagman.
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 boil,You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boilYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabongUp jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bagYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me,And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bagYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Up rode the squatter mounted on his thorough-bredDown came the troopers One Two ThreeWhose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bagYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Waltzing Matilda Waltzing MatildaYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with meWhose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bagYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Up jumped the swagman sprang in to the billabongYou'll never catch me alive said he,And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabongYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.Waltzing Matilda Waltzing MatildaYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with meAnd his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabongYou'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
In the song "Waltzing Matilda," the swagman is the one who sleeps under the coolibah tree. He is a drifter who carries his belongings, or "swag," in a bag known as a "Matilda," and he meets a tragic end in the song.
Once a jolly swagman sat beside the billabong, Under the shade of a coolibah tree,And he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Down came a jumbuck to drink beside the billabongUp jumped the swagman and seized him with gleeAnd he sang as he tucked jumbuck in his tuckerbagYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'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 meWaltzing Matilda, waltzing MatildaYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with meAnd he sang as he sat and waited by the billabongYou'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Up jumped the swagman and plunged into the billabong,"You'll never catch me alive," cried heAnd his ghost may be heard as you ride beside the billabong,You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me.Second Version of Waltzing MatildaOnce a jolly swagman camped by a Billabong Under the shade of a Coolabah treeAnd he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"Down come a jumbuck to drink at the water holeUp jumped a swagman and grabbed him in gleeAnd 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 thoroughbredUp rode the Trooper - one, two, three"Where's that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?","You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me".But the swagman he up and jumped in the water holeDrowning himself by the Coolabah tree,And his ghost may be heard as it sings in the Billabong,"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Waltzing Matilda is not a person. A Matilda was a swag, or the simple, basic belongings that a swagman carried with him as he roamed the Australian bush or outback, looking for work or a handout. A Matilda usually consisted of nothing more than a blanket, a billy and/or cooking pot, and maybe a spare shirt, if he was lucky. To go "waltzing Matilda" with someone was a colloquialism for joining a swagman on his travels, living free and unencumbered on the bush road.
The Jolly Swagman in Waltzing Matilda
Good question. After being shoved in the swagman's swag, it's never actually stated whether the swagman ate the jumbuck or it was released by the troopers.
1st line: Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, under the shade of a coolibah tree.last line: And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong ... "You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me".
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong "under the shade of a coolibah tree".
Three only!
The tone of "Waltzing Matilda" is generally nostalgic and bittersweet. The song tells the story of a swagman traveling through the Australian outback and captures the loneliness and hardships of his journey, while also celebrating the spirit of independence and resilience.