Talk:Waltzing Matilda

officially recognised "National Song" . This sounds like a statement of fact. Is this verified anywhere? Graham Chapman

Of course it's not... but it IS one of the most widely recognised songs in the world :) btw, why can't the lyrics be quoted? Banjo Patterson wrote the darned thing, and he died almost a hundred years ago.

I've put the full text of Waltzing Matilda into the article. I can't see why the lyrics can't be quoted, it says right there in the article that no copyright has ever applied on it. I also fixed the "national song" - it's a folk song, and has no official status, despite its popularity. I also reworded the final words of the first paragraph, to remove ambiguity and highlight the fact that Advance Australia Fair is actually the current National Anthem. - User:Mark Ryan

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An explanation is needed of the meaning of "waltzing Matilda" -- Error

Essentially, it means carryng a swag or bag. I think the term's of German origin. Arno 07:48 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Talking of German origin: Walz means the medieval to 19th C costum of craftsman working their way through the world for a few years before finally settling down, after they had finished their apprenteinceship (sorry if I got it misspelt). immanently, people who were "auf der Walz" (on Waltz) where pennyless travellers. I guess there never was such a tradition in the Anglo-Saxon countries, but it was quite strong all over Central Europe. User:Jakob Stevo

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I seem to remember reading years ago that Waltzing Maitlda was based on a historical event involving a swag man called, possibly, Frederick Hofstetter. Can anyone confirm this confidently enough to put it into the article? Ping 08:29 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Really? I thought that his name was Andy - "Andy sat, as he watched , as he waited till his billy boiled..."

Seriously, though, he was fictitious. Arno 08:31 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)

So who was Frederick Hofstetter? Middle name Andy maybe? Ping 08:35 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)

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Don't you think it's worth mentioning that Tom Waits did an interpretation of the song which was probably the first time people outside Anglo-Saxon world (like myself) got to hear it, and which I still think is a great piece of music? User:Jakob Stevo

I think so. I will add it to the article. CyborgTosser 03:55, 15 Jun 2004 (UTC)

The Tom Waits song, 'Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen)', is more of an 'inspired by' than a strict cover; it combines the chorus of WM with a lot of original material. See lyrics here' (http://www.spynets.net/lyrics_details.php?ID=29663) for some idea of its nature. I've clarified the entry accordingly.--Calair 00:09, 23 Aug 2004 (UTC)

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Not being from an English-speaking country, I have never heard "Waltzing Matilda" performed. In fact, before reading this article I didn't even know it existed. I read the lyrics though, and although I have no idea of how it sounds when set to music, it appeared to me that it would not make such a good national anthem. I mean, I'm sure the song must be beautiful, but I really do think that "Advance Australia Fair" was indeed the better choice — how nice it is to hear a national anthem that doesn't allude to war, death or vengeance, Australians are to be commended for chosing that song! Redux 23:16, 17 Aug 2004 (UTC)

The original version actually did contain mention of war, along with a couple of other things not often sung today. See Advance Australia Fair for the unexpurgated version. --Calair 00:09, 23 Aug 2004 (UTC)