Waltzing Matilda

I thought I would add my bit of Australian Folklaw to the archives.(As I understand it)
The famous Australian poem/song Waltzing Matilda, originated from Germany, where the young men of a village would travel the countrside going from town to town working as whatever was going at the time - this was called "Waltzing" (sp).Then during the war a "Matilda" was a nickname given to the woman of the night that kept the soldiers warm, this was also the name of the thick army coats the soldiers would wear.
From this the Australian Swagman, (A drifter or tramp , who wanders around on foot , living on gratuity and odd jobs), would carry his "Swag" which contained all his worldly posessions/tools etc ...this was also his bed for the night.
I look forward to hearing any one elses version of this.
B

On that same subject (Aussie-speak) here's one of my favorite sites: www.sunburntcountry.au.com/ sayings/

A must for any would be Aussie is the Dinkum Dictionary, all the phrases andd sayings you could ever want

OK, will someone put their hands up to the spoof "Folklaw" contribution above. It's a total wind up and not worthy of analysis. Wandering Germans boys, thick coats, war - what war? Get out of here you pommie blags, we're not all hayseeds down under 'ya know'.

Just to set the record straight I am not a pom, but an Australian .... my great great grandfather was Henry Lawson. And guess what "Doc"..there actually was a war, in fact there have been a few.
I have found one reference to my comment's at
www.waltzingmatilda.com/ wmhist.html
Now, I never said that this was actual fact, but only the version that I knew, which is why I posted it on a Discussion Forum page.
Maybe you "should" take the time to analyse things before making stupid statements.
B

Hey, so I visited 'www.waltzingmatilda.com/ wmhist.html' and can now understand where you're coming from. So I thought you were a pom taking the piss, an honest mistake. You didn't help your case by the way you represented the information. Suggest you have a re-read of the stuff on www.waltzingmatilda.com/ wmhist.html.

I don't think anyone would claim Dennis O'Keeffe (it's his website) has presented a scholarly work but what the hell; it's one man's opinion and he believes it, so who are we to cast doubt on his conclusions.