Living
Waltzing Matilda
From Saltbush Bill, J.P., and other Verses
Oh! there once was a swagman camped in the Billabong,
Under the shade of a Coolabah tree;
And he sang as he looked at his 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 Matilda with me?
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the water-hole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him in glee;
And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"
Down came the Squatter a-riding his thorough-bred;
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 me."
But the swagman, he up and he jumped in the water-hole,
Drowning 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?"
Codex Note
(Carrying a Swag.)
Cite this poem
MLA
Paterson, Andrew Barton 'Banjo'. “Waltzing Matilda.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/paterson_ab/101/.
Chicago
Paterson, Andrew Barton 'Banjo'. “Waltzing Matilda.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/paterson_ab/101/.
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