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Waltzing Matilda : Carrying a Swag
single work
"Oh! there once was a swagman camped in the billabong,"

Alternative title:
Waltzing Matilda
Issue Details:
First known date:
1895...
1895
Waltzing Matilda : Carrying a Swag
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Notes
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While staying at Dagworth Station near Winton, Queensland, in January 1895, Paterson heard a tune played by Christina Macpherson to which he wrote the lyrics Waltzing Matilda.
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Instructions for American Servicemen in Australia 1942 has composer as Marie Cowan.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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The Ghost and the Billabong
i
"Now, let us be clear.",
2021
single work
poetry
— Appears in: Polestar , no. 40 2021; (p. 12) -
Banjo and Berlioz : The Matilda Fugue
2021
single work
essay
— Appears in: Quadrant , January / February vol. 65 no. 1/2 2021; (p. 118-130) 'In 1831, at the age of twenty-seven, Hector Berlioz wrote the “Intrata di Rob-Roy MacGregor”. He began composing the overture in May at Nice, and completed the orchestration in June when he was in Italy.' (Introduction) -
Ghosting in the Outback Noir
2021
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Coolabah , no. 29 2021; (p. 4-16) 'Who was the ‘jolly swagman’ in Waltzing Matilda, Australia’s unofficial national anthem? In this essay I argue that the ghost of the swagman can be heard in a number of recent de-colonising crime narratives. Outback Noir is a relatively recent genre category that describes a new wave of Australian crime films that highlight Indigenous and white relations and take a revisionist approach to traditional history. These films often feature redemption stories that highlight effective collaborations between Indigenous and white policing practices. Uncovering a rural communities’ dark, repressed secrets in order to solve a current problem is a common trend in Outback Noir cinema. I examine Patrick Hughes’ 2010 film Red Hill as an early provocative example of Outback Noir and as modern reimaging of the Waltzing Matilda narrative with the swagman’s avenging ghost exposing the social fractures and corruption that are destroying rural communities. I argue that the Outback Noir genre with its focus on revenge-redemption narratives shapes the cultural dialogue around putting the ghosts of the colonial past to rest.' (Publication abstract) -
Capturing Gossamer : A Waltz with Matilda
2020
single work
essay
— Appears in: Quadrant , January / February vol. 64 no. 1/2 2020; (p. 116-127) -
y
Waltzing Matilda, Australia's Accidental Anthem : A Forensic History Salisbury : Boolarong Press , 2019 15862046 2019 multi chapter work criticism
'This song that started as an accidental collaboration in outback Queensland in 1895 caused the death of a seven-year relationship and went on to inspire a nation during World War II, following Banjo Paterson’s death in 1941.
'Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia’s Accidental Anthem written by a criminal barrister, is a forensic history of the events, the people and the places that led to the writing of Australia’s internationally famous song. This evidence-based approach dispels many of the myths and historical inaccuracies that have become folklore.
'The facts about the swagman, the contribution of Christina Macpherson and Sarah Riley and the timing and the place of the composition are all revealed.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
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Matildology
1967
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Realist , Autumn 1967; (p. 28-29) -
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Who'll Come a Waltzing Matilda with Me? Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2003 Z1010594 2003 website 'This site aims to reveal some of the important primary and secondary sources that have informed the stories, myths and interpretations behind the song.' The site details the origins of the lyrics and tune for Waltzing Matilda, and the various versions of each. Word meanings are explained and the place of the song in Australia's culture is examined.
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The Ghost of the Swagman
1995
single work
essay
— Appears in: Advancing Australia : The Speeches of Paul Keating, Prime Minister 1995; (p. 75-78) Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature 2009; (p. 1098-1101) Speech delivered in Winton, Queensland on 6 April 1995 on the occasion of the centenary celebrations for Waltzing Matilda. -
It's High Time Matilda Was Swung Low and Waltzed Out of the Stadium
2003
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 25 November 2003; (p. 11) -
Truthful Jones at Barcaldine
1991
single work
short story
— Appears in: Australian Short Stories , no. 34 1991; (p. 30-35)
Last amended 3 Sep 2015 14:39:04
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