Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda (1895)
Banjo Paterson (lyrics) and Christina Macpherson (music)

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)

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

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 Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:

published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1973).

This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.

Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.

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.

Waltzing Matilda

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