The lyrics to Waltzing Matilda are the best known of all Australian songs and have been sung all across the world by people who no idea what words like billabong and swagman mean.
Waltzing Matilda
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That doesn’t seem to prevent them enjoying the song which tells the story of a traveller or ‘swagman’ who is caught stealing a sheep. Rather than be taken prisoner by the farmer and the troopers, he jumps into the watering hole or ‘billabong’ and drowns.
Waltzing Matilda lyrics were written in 1895 by the Australian writer Banjo Paterson and became widely known across Australia in 1903 when they were first published and used in a jingle advertising tea.
Waltzing Matilda lyrics and chords
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[chordsandlyrics]
[C]Once a jolly [G]swagman [C]camped by a [F]billabong
Under the [C]shade of a [G]coolabah tree,
And he [C]sang as he [G]watched and [C]waited ’til his [F]billy boiled
[C]“Who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with [G]me”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chorus
[C]Waltzing Matilda, [F]Waltzing Matilda
[C]“Who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with [G]me”
And he [C]sang as he [G]watched and [C]waited ’til his [F]billy boiled,
[C]“Who’ll come a-Waltzing Ma[G]tilda, with [C]me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chorus
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“Who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
“Who’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?”
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chorus
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?”,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
“You’ll never take me alive”, said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chorus
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.”
“Oh, You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.”
[/chordsandlyrics]
Waltzing Matilda
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Lyrics and Chords
