Free Song Lyrics

←Waltzing Matilda (1895)lyrics by Banjo Paterson, composed by Christina Macpherson→information about this editionrelated portals: Australian poetry, Song lyrics, Sheet musicsister projects: Wikipedia article, Commons category, Wikidata item
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)
Christina MacphersonBanjo PatersonWaltzing Matilda189523992
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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
2nd 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
3rd 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
4th 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 the United States because it was published before January 1, 1931.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 84 years or less. 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.
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