Waltzing Matilda
Outback anthem song
Waltzing Matilda is Australia's most famous folk song, often considered an unofficial national anthem.
The title refers to carrying a swag (bedroll) while traveling on foot—a matilda was slang for a swag, and waltzing meant tramping or wandering.
The song tells of a swagman who steals a sheep and drowns himself rather than be captured by police.
They sang Waltzing Matilda around the campfire.
- swagmanAustralian traveling worker
- billabongIsolated river pool
- squatterUnauthorized building inhabitant
- folk songTraditional community music
- mateshipAustralian ideal of loyalty
billy · Australian · humpy · trooper · tucker · national identity · Queensland · campfire songs · colonial heritage · bushranger · colonial era · rebellion · tragedy · drover · outback · bush · stockman · Paterson
- Bush Ballads
- Australianakangaroo, Vegemite, boomerang, koala, didgeridoo
- Outbackoutback, station, red sand, cattle station, dust storm
- Anthemsnational anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, La Marseillaise, O Canada, God Save the King
- Australian MusicAC/DC, INXS, Midnight Oil, Crowded House, The Bee Gees
- Colonial AustraliaBotany Bay, penal colonies, convicts, penal colony, colonial settlement
Waltzing MatildaGod Save the King
British national anthem
national anthem · state anthem · The Star-Spangled Banner · La Marseillaise · Rule Britannia
Matilda, waltz, waltzing, waltzes, waltzed, waltzers, waltzer, waltzlike