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162 lines
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162 lines
7.9 KiB
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<title>Waltzing Matilda - A translation for non-Australians</title>
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<p align="center"><b><font color="blue" size="+3">Waltzing Matilda - An Interpretation</font></b></p>
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<hr /><span class="imgswap"><a href="index.html" style="display:block;"><img src="a1.gif" alt="Home"/><b class="bb">Main Index</b></a></span>
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<span class="imgswap"><a href="humour.htm" style="display:block;"><img src="a1.gif" alt="Projects"/><b class="bb">Humour Index</b></a></span>
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<hr />
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<p>Specially prepared for foreigners (i.e. non Australians, and especially US citizens) wishing to know what the words to our most famous song actually mean.</p>
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<hr><b>Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong</b>
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<ul>
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<li><b>Once</b> - a single time<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>jolly</b> - gay, but not in the same sense as that understood by the young men of Darlinghurst. (US readers subsitiute 'San
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Francisco' or something similar in place of 'Darlinghurst'.)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>swagman</b> - itinerant worker, called a swagman because of the 'swag' normally carried by such persons. A swag comprises
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the worldly belongings of the swagman, wrapped in a blanket and formed into a back-pack. A swagman is also known as a 'swaggie'<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>camped</b> - made camp (nothing to to do with the behaviour of the Darlinghurst set)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>billabong</b> - oxbow lake formed when a meandering river cuts through its own course leaving a segment of the river isolated
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from the main stream<br /><br /></li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Under the shade of a coolabah tree</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>under</b> - beneath. Implies that there is something above (this may be wishful thinking)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>shade</b> - half a pair of sunglasses<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>coolabah</b> - type of tree which grows in some of Australia's wetlands<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>tree</b> - a woody thing with leaves, which gets pissed upon by dogs<br /><br /></li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>And he sang as he watched and waited 'till his billy boiled</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>and he</b> - a distortion of the swagman's name (Andy)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>sang</b> - another distortion<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>watched</b> - something the swaggie did while waiting<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>waited</b> - something the swaggie did while watching<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>'till</b> - another distortion. Not to be confused with the money receptacle found at the checkout in most stores.<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>billy</b> - a tin can with a lid, and a looped wire handle over the top. Used by denizens of the Australian outback
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as a cooking utensil primarily for the boiling of water to make tea<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>boiled</b> - what happened to the water when it was heated to 100 degrees. (This effect is not so apparent in backward countries
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like the US, where the water must be heated to over 200 degrees before anything interesting happens)<br /><br /></li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>You'll</b> - a distortion<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>come</b> - no comment<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>waltzing</b> - walking; the term used by swagmen to describe their means of travel<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>matilda</b> - the name given by one particular swagman to his swag. Apparently the swaggie in question was a Dutchman who came
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to Australia after his wife, Matilda, had died. He adopted the swaggie's lifestyle, and named his swag in memory of his wife. Use of
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the name spread. (This is supposed to be a true story. Really.)<br /><br /></li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda<br /><br />
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You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me<br /><br />
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And he sang as he watched and waited 'till his billy boiled<br /><br />
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You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me</b></p>
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<p><b>Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>down</b> - opposite of up (see next line of song)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>jumbuck</b> - a sheep, specifically a young ram<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>drink</b> - to swallow water or other liquid, to imbibe alcoholic beverages (the latter being somewhat unlikely behaviour
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for a sheep, so water is assumed - this assumption may not be correct however, since it is said "to drink at" as opposed to "from")
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<br /><br /></li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>up</b> - opposite of down (see previous line of song)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>jumped</b> - to have performed a jump or leap, or in this case probably just standing up briskly.<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>grabbed</b> - seized suddenly, snatched<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>glee</b> - Matilda had been dead for quite some time</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker-bag</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>shoved</b> - pushed, stuffed, packed. Presumably after skinning and gutting<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>tucker</b> - food, hence "tucker-bag"<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>bag</b> - sack, usually made of hessian. The term also refers to a woman of similar appearance (to the hessian bag,
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not the sheep.)</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me</b></p>
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<p><b>Down came the squatter mounted on his thoroughbred</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>squatter</b> - a landholder through occupancy rather than purchase<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>mounted</b> - sitting upon (we hope this is not a reference to the Darlinghurst types mentioned at the beginning)<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>thoroughbred</b> - a breed of horse. Not much use in the Australian bush or as a farm horse, but probably ridden by the squatter
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as a symbol of wealth. A similar phenomenon may be observed in Sydney, where one can see the odd yuppie driving his Ferrari over the
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Harbour Bridge in the peak-hour.</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Down came the troopers, one, two, three</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>trooper</b> - outback policeman<br /><br /></li>
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<li><b>one, two, three</b> - just to show that the swaggie could count</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li>a singularly redundant question</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>waltzing</b> - a dance performed by sheep stealers whilst suspended from a gibbet by a rope</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Waltzing matilda ... (etc)<br /><br />
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Up jumped the swagman and jumped into the billabong</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>jumped ¹</b> - (see previous definition)</li>
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<li><b>jumped ²</b> - in this case probably more of a misguided leap, especially when one considers the ending to the song</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>You'll never take me alive said he</b></p>
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<ul>
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<li><b>alive</b> - what the sheep isn't</li>
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</ul>
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<p><b>Now his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong<br /><br />
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You'll come a-waltzing matilda with me.</b></p>
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<p><b><i>THE SILLY BASTARD COULDN'T SWIM !</i></b></p>
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<hr />
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<p>I hope this helps those who would otherwise never have been able to decode this song.</p>
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<br /><br />
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<hr /><span class="imgswap"><a href="index.html" style="display:block;"><img src="a1.gif" alt="Home"/><b class="bb">Main Index</b></a></span>
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<span class="imgswap"><a href="humour.htm" style="display:block;"><img src="a1.gif" alt="Projects"/><b class="bb">Humour Index</b></a></span><br />
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