Waltzing Matilda is regarded as Australia’s national song. While it is not the country’s official national anthem, there has always been a widespread feeling that Waltzing Matilda’s lyrics typify the rebellious spirit and defiant attitude towards authority generally exhibited by Australians. Waltzing Matilda was composed in Winton, Queensland in 1895. Banjo Paterson wrote the lyrics and Christina Macpherson composed the music by adapting a tune from a folk song she had heard and memorized a few years earlier. It has been argued that Waltzing Matilda attempts to make a political statement against authority – it was certainly motivated by the Queensland Shearers Strike of 1891 which was brought about by the refusal to pay sheep shearers higher wages. The version of Waltzing Matilda used as the soundtrack was recorded in 1938 in London. The soloist is Peter Dawson – his renditions of the song helped make Waltzing Matilda world famous; it is one of the ten most recorded songs in the world. The lyrics to Waltzing Matilda include a considerable number of slang terms that were prevalent in Australia in the 1890s that require some explanation. Waltzing Matilda – the act of carrying a “swag”. Swagman – an Australian itinerant worker, so-called because of the “swag” that he used to carry his possessions. These included his provisions, blankets and a “billy”. Matilda is an old world meaning “mighty battle maid” and was used as a slang term to mean a de-facto wife. In the Australian bush, a man’s swag was regarded as his de-facto since it accompanied him everywhere – hence it was called his “Matilda”. ...