Waltzing Matilda - Come On!

[pabrizzer]

I hope no one has done this song yet! (that's a joke).
Finally got my chance to record it. A few oppses in there, sorry.

Yeah. HaHa.
Great job on this Rex. Loved it - especially the melody plucked out at intro and outro and the singing. Well that would be all of it really.
The only oops I noticed was the spelling of 'oopses'.
Thanks for joining in.

Some terms may need to be explained to the non-Aussies
Matilda - name given to their bed roll or 'swag' hence -
Swagman - hobo or bum.
billabong - I think you guys call it a 'bow lake'. It is the meander in a river that eventually becomes cut off.
billy - pot with handle to boil tea or coffee - often made from an old tin can.
squatter - despite the sound it means the landed gentry. 'Squatters' ended up owning large parcels of land often squeezing out the little guys.
tucker bag - a sack in which food (tucker) was collected for later preparation and consumption.
jumbuck - a sheep.

I hope someone gives the Queensland version a whirl.

 

[decaturcomp]

With respect and thanks for Dave~~Wave~~ beautiful instrumental version:

 

[Jazzbanjorex]

Yeah. HaHa.
Great job on this Rex. Loved it - especially the melody plucked out at intro and outro and the singing. Well that would be all of it really.
The only oops I noticed was the spelling of 'oopses'.
Thanks for joining in.

Some terms may need to be explained to the non-Aussies
Matilda - name given to their bed roll or 'swag' hence -
Swagman - hobo or bum.
billabong - I think you guys call it a 'bow lake'. It is the meander in a river that eventually becomes cut off.
billy - pot with handle to boil tea or coffee - often made from an old tin can.
squatter - despite the sound it means the landed gentry. 'Squatters' ended up owning large parcels of land often squeezing out the little guys.
tucker bag - a sack in which food (tucker) was collected for later preparation and consumption.
jumbuck - a sheep.

I hope someone gives the Queensland version a whirl.

Oppses is the plural of opps.

 

[Jazzbanjorex]

Here's my Dulcimer group doing a medley with Waltzing Matilda in the middle.


The lead instrument is a bowed psaltery. She put her hammer dulcimer aside for a few songs.
I'm playing my banjolele.

 

[pabrizzer]

Loved that Rex. Thanks for sharing it here.
Oh Shenandoah is a beautiful tune and the lady in your group is a fine guitarist.
It was lovely.

 

[pabrizzer]

With respect and thanks for Dave~~Wave~~ beautiful instrumental version:

Alan, Great job on this epic song!
I think you and Dave have inspired me to give this one a go soon.
Eric Bogle is a wonderful song writer.
The Australians who did battle at Gallipoli were actually Light Horsemen and went on to fight elsewhere after the failed Gallipoli campaign.
When they returned to Australia they could not bring their horses home with them. Rather than hand them over to the local population in Egypt (who they deemed too cruel - true irony - war is not cruel to a horse?) they shot them. But rather than shooting your own horse best mates would do the job for each other.
Eric Bogle writes a beautiful song about this brutal event.
I'll post it here if I find it.
The song is called "It's As If He Knows" - Teary stuff.

 

[pabrizzer]

OK This is a pretty big song for me and I have great trouble making it to the end.
Eric actually got it pretty wrong. The A.N.Z.A.C. Day march has not faded away (but the song was written at a time when it was waning). In fact it has become possibly the biggest day on the Australian calendar. I was lucky enough to be able to march beside my dad (WWII) in the march in Sydney before he passed away a few years ago. The march has become a day where descendants march - sometimes carrying photos of those who served (there has been some controversy about this).
In 2015 it will be the 100th year since the landing at Gallipoli and there are huge commemorations planned.
My son and his now wife were at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day 3 years ago and it has become a bit of a pilgrimage for young Aussies.
The worse thing about the song is that it applies to many war veterans returning now (and sadly in the future).
So inspired by Dave and Alan, my attempt at And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Eric Bogle.

 

[~dave~~wave~]

With respect and thanks for Dave~~Wave~~ beautiful instrumental version:

OK This is a pretty big song for me and I have great trouble making it to the end...
..So inspired by Dave and Alan, my attempt at And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Eric Bogle.

Thank you, gentlemen.
I had to go instrumental because I could never get to the end without choking up.

February 2 marks the 41st anniversary of the day I sat in a college dormitory commons room and watched the draft lottery numbers picked.

As it turned out, conscription ended that year.
Accident of birth, my friends born a year sooner weren't so lucky.
Thanks to everybody who served.

 

[pootsie]

Here is my meager contribution, inspired by my continuing aggravation that a song where the word "waltz" appears so many times is not in 3/4 time.

So I did something about it. My apologies to all who may be offended. That includes my wife, who loves "Waltzing Matilda" because her mother sang it to her as a child. She was concerned that I was messing with it.



And yes, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is hard to listen to without tough feelings coming up. Especially the Pogues version, given McGowen's gift for filling his voice with bitter recrimination. Excellent renditions here, too.

 

[pabrizzer]

Here is my meager contribution, inspired by my continuing aggravation that a song where the word "waltz" appears so many times is not in 3/4 time.

So I did something about it. My apologies to all who may be offended. That includes my wife, who loves "Waltzing Matilda" because her mother sang it to her as a child. She was concerned that I was messing with it.

And yes, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is hard to listen to without tough feelings coming up. Especially the Pogues version, given McGowen's gift for filling his voice with bitter recrimination. Excellent renditions here, too.

Loved this waltz version!
Really liked the slight variation in lyrics too.
Great job.
You took the invitation to waltz with Matilda literally but I am sure glad you joined in.
Thank you.

 

[decaturcomp]

 

[decaturcomp]

Something else we have in common, brother. My number was 190 so I was never called. I was 1A all through school for losing my student deferment due to poor grades. Small yellow envelopes came from the draft board quarterly or so. One day I got a big white envelope which I figured meant they'd reached my number. In stead it said that my year was up and that they'd call all numbers for folks born in 1953 before they would circle back to my year.

Thank you, gentlemen.
I had to go instrumental because I could never get to the end without choking up.

February 2 marks the 41st anniversary of the day I sat in a college dormitory commons room and watched the draft lottery numbers picked.

As it turned out, conscription ended that year.
Accident of birth, my friends born a year sooner weren't so lucky.
Thanks to everybody who served.

 

[decaturcomp]

I think this is beautifully done, pal. I tried to change to 3/4 on the 'waltzing matilda' sections of the Band Played Waltzing Matilda for the very same reason. I don't think it was consistant though and as such a failed effort unlike yours.

Here is my meager contribution, inspired by my continuing aggravation that a song where the word "waltz" appears so many times is not in 3/4 time.

So I did something about it. My apologies to all who may be offended. That includes my wife, who loves "Waltzing Matilda" because her mother sang it to her as a child. She was concerned that I was messing with it.

And yes, "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is hard to listen to without tough feelings coming up. Especially the Pogues version, given McGowen's gift for filling his voice with bitter recrimination. Excellent renditions here, too.

 

[decaturcomp]

Beautiful. I couldn't get through your very moving version without shedding a tear. Thanks.

OK This is a pretty big song for me and I have great trouble making it to the end.
Eric actually got it pretty wrong. The A.N.Z.A.C. Day march has not faded away (but the song was written at a time when it was waning). In fact it has become possibly the biggest day on the Australian calendar. I was lucky enough to be able to march beside my dad (WWII) in the march in Sydney before he passed away a few years ago. The march has become a day where descendants march - sometimes carrying photos of those who served (there has been some controversy about this).
In 2015 it will be the 100th year since the landing at Gallipoli and there are huge commemorations planned.
My son and his now wife were at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day 3 years ago and it has become a bit of a pilgrimage for young Aussies.
The worse thing about the song is that it applies to many war veterans returning now (and sadly in the future).
So inspired by Dave and Alan, my attempt at And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda - Eric Bogle.

 

[Garydavkra]

This is my attempt at Waltzing Matilda. Please excuse by lousy Australian accent but, my girlfriend thought it was better with it. She is filming this with my smartphone.

 

[pootsie]

I think this is beautifully done, pal. I tried to change to 3/4 on the 'waltzing matilda' sections of the Band Played Waltzing Matilda for the very same reason. I don't think it was consistant though and as such a failed effort unlike yours.

Thank you most kindly. But I would not say your song failed. Not at all.

 

[decaturcomp]

Nice one, brother!

This is my attempt at Waltzing Matilda. Please excuse by lousy Australian accent but, my girlfriend thought it was better with it. She is filming this with my smartphone.

 

[pabrizzer]

This is my attempt at Waltzing Matilda. Please excuse by lousy Australian accent but, my girlfriend thought it was better with it. She is filming this with my smartphone.

I so agree with your girlfriends, "Yeah!" at the end. It was a terrific version. Thank you for doing this and adding to the "Matildathon" (good description Pootsie).
It is a bit strange seeing someone need the music sheet to do this song. I am lousy at remembering words but this song is part of every Australian (of my era). Some Aussies don't like the song but we ALL know the words.

 

[pabrizzer]

"Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)"

I love this Tom Waits song and you have done it so well.
His voice is so unique but he has written song great songs.
Thanks you.

 

[Garydavkra]

I'm lousy at remembering words also. I even use sheet music for the songs that I write. We use to sing this song in school but, I couldn't remember the words.

I so agree with your girlfriends, "Yeah!" at the end. It was a terrific version. Thank you for doing this and adding to the "Matildathon" (good description Pootsie).
It is a bit strange seeing someone need the music sheet to do this song. I am lousy at remembering but this song is part of every Australian (of my era). Some Aussies don't like the song but we ALL know the words.