Editing Waltzing Matilda (section)

==History==
===Writing of the song===
[[File:Combo Waterhole-Alun Hoggett.jpg|thumb|[[Combo Waterhole]], thought to be the location that inspired the story of "Waltzing Matilda"]]
In 1895, [[Andrew Barton Paterson]] was living in Sydney, New South Wales. By day, he was a solicitor. By night he wrote his much-loved poetry and moonlighted as a freelance journalist under the pen name of "The Banjo". Banjo was the name of his favourite horse on his father's farm.<ref>{{Citation|last=Semmler|first=Clement|title=Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson (1864–1941)|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paterson-andrew-barton-banjo-7972|access-date=2024-04-19|place=Canberra|publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University|language=en}}</ref> Paterson took a holiday from his day job, probably in early August. He made a journey of at least 5 days to visit Sarah Riley, his fiancée of 7 years, in Winton, central-western Queensland and to see how people lived on the enormous, remote sheep stations in the district.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 p 172</ref>

On arriving in Winton, Banjo attended a gathering where Christina Macpherson, Sarah's friend from school days in St Kilda, Melbourne, played some music to entertain those present. One tune caught Banjo's attention. In Christina's own words, "Mr Paterson asked me what it was – I could not tell him & he then said that that he thought that he could write some lines to it. He then and there wrote the first verse."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Christina Macpherson's unsent letter to Dr Thomas Wood|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075521|access-date=2024-04-19|via=Trove|language=en}}</ref> The rest of the song was written and rehearsed over a period of some three or four weeks in August and early September at a number of locations. Credible accounts exist of the later verses being written at [[Dagworth Station]], a [[Station (Australian agriculture)|sheep station]] 130{{Spaces}}km north-west of Winton in [[Central West Queensland]], owned by the Macpherson family. Paterson and others have left accounts of the song being written at Dick's Creek, en route to Winton from Dagworth Station. The song was then sung, with piano accompaniment, in a house in Winton (owned by members of the Riley family). There is photographic evidence of the song, at an advanced stage, being sung at Oondooroo Station, again with piano accompaniment.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 Chapter 10</ref> When no piano was available, the instrument that Christina played was a small, very early model of an instrument called a volkszither or akkordzither in Germany. In America, where it became very popular, it was called an [[autoharp]].<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Styles, Ivan|title=The true history of the autoharp|magazine=The Autoharp Quarterly|volume=3|date=April 1991|url=https://www.daigleharp.com/True_History_Of_The_Autoharp.html}}</ref><ref>May, Sydney. ''The Story of Waltzing Matilda''. W R Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 1944. p. 16</ref><ref>Race, Paul. "Creek Don't Rise" homepage, https://creekdontrise.com/acoustic/index.htm#autoharp</ref>

On 24 April 1894, Christina had attended the annual [[Warrnambool]] [[Steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]] meeting in south western Victoria. The music at the meeting was provided by the Warrnambool Garrison Artillery Band. The first item played by the band was the quick march [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh-EhQHWfww "Craigielee"],<ref>May, Sydney. The Story of Waltzing Matilda. W R Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 1955. Pages 30/31.</ref> composed by English-born Australian [[Thomas Bulch]], in or before 1891, using the pseudonym Godfrey Parker.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1891-09-17|title=No title|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204315792|access-date=2024-04-19|work=Ballarat Star}}</ref> "Craigielee" was a typical march with three strains. The first strain in the main section was based on "Thou Bonny Wood of Craigie Lee", composed by Glasgow musician [[James Barr (composer)|James Barr]], published in 1818 for [[Robert Tannahill]]'s poem "Thou Bonnie Wood o Craigielee" which was written prior to 1806.<ref name=semple>{{cite web|last=Semple|first=David|author-link=David Semple (antiquarian)|title=The Poems and Songs of Robert Tannahill: Songs – Bonnie Wood O Craigielee|url=http://www.grianpress.com/Tannahill/TANNAHILL%27S%20SONGS%203.htm|access-date=20 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419215727/http://www.grianpress.com/Tannahill/TANNAHILL%27S%20SONGS%203.htm|archive-date=19 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Christina had a good memory for songs and, when she had the opportunity, tried to play the first strain by ear on piano. Christina's memory was not perfect. The first strain of "Craigielee" had the musical form AABC.<ref>{{Cite web|title=07 Jun 2011 – Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me? – Archived Website|url=http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/5552-item5.html|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110606173517/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/5552-item5.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-06-06|access-date=2024-04-19|via=Trove|language=en}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Christina remembered the AAB section and put it into her tune as bars 1–12. For some reason she did not add the C section to her song as bars 13–16. To complete her tune, Christina repeated the second A section. Christina's tune had the musical form AABA. This is the musical form of "Waltzing Matilda" sung today.

When Christina arrived at Dagworth in June 1895 she found an autoharp with three or four chord bars, which belonged to the bookkeeper, John Tait Wilson.<ref>May, Sydney. The Story of Waltzing Matilda. W R Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 1955. Page 69.</ref> As there was no piano at Dagworth, Christina learned to play this autoharp. Within seven weeks she was able to play the tune that she heard at Warrnambool, well enough to catch the attention of Banjo Paterson. During the rest of her stay at Dagworth she mastered it.<ref>May, Sydney. The Story of Waltzing Matilda. W R Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. 1944. Page 16.</ref>

About seven weeks after she arrived at Dagworth, Christina and her brothers went into Winton for a week or so. This coincided with the time that Banjo Paterson arrived to meet Sarah Riley. Banjo and Sarah were immediately invited to join the group returning to Dagworth Station. This was an irresistible temptation for a man venturing into the outback, the 'never-never' for the first time.  During his stay, Paterson would have seen the places, heard the stories and encountered the people who inspired the lyrics of the original "Waltzing Matilda".<ref>Macpherson, Christina. Unsent, undated letter to Dr Thomas Wood circa 1931. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110606173517/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig-Creation.html</ref><ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda – The original iteration, Trad&Now-Edition 156 page 24.</ref>

[[File:StateLibQld 1 50240 Troopers at Dagworth Station during the Shearer's Strike in 1894.jpg|right|thumb|Fortified temporary shearing shed at [[Dagworth Station]] following the 1894 arson of the main shed. The three troopers at left may be those referred to in "Waltzing Matilda", while the squatter was Bob Macpherson, fourth from right.]]

=== Possible inspirations ===
In Queensland, in 1891, the [[1891 Australian shearers' strike|Great Shearers' Strike]] brought the colony close to civil war and was broken only after the [[Premier of Queensland]], [[Samuel Griffith]], called in the military.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Australian National University|title=Archives Library, Shearers|url=https://archives.anu.edu.au/exhibitions/forgotten-trades-selected-records-early-australian-trades/shearers}}</ref> In July and August 1894, as the shearing season approached, the [[Strike action|strike]] broke out again in protest at a wage and contract agreement proposed by the [[Squatting (Australian history)|squatters]]. During July and August, seven shearing sheds in central Queensland were burned by striking union shearers before shearing could begin with [[Scab labour|non-union labour]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Brisbane Courier]]|title=THE SHEARING DISPUTE|date=28 August 1894|page=5|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3586279}}</ref> Early on the morning of 2 September, a group of striking union shearers, firing rifles and pistols, set fire to the shearing shed at Dagworth. The fire killed over a hundred sheep. The shed was defended by Constable Michael Daly, Bob Macpherson and his brothers and employees.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 p62.</ref> In the early afternoon of the same day, Senior Constable Austin Cafferty, in Kynuna, was informed that a man had shot himself at a striking shearers' camp in a billabong 4 miles from Kynuna and about 15 miles from Dagworth. When he arrived at the camp, S/C Cafferty found the body of Samuel Hoffmeister, also known as "Frenchy", with a bullet wound through the mouth, in an apparent suicide. Hoffmeister was a known leader of the striking unionists and suspected of being involved in the arson attack at Dagworth on the night before.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Brisbane Courier Mail|date=4 September 1894|page=5|title=THE SHEARING DISPUTE|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/3586700}}</ref> Later S/C Cafferty was joined by Constable Michael Daly, who had travelled from Dagworth.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 p 75</ref> Three days later, a Coronial inquest into Hoffmeister's death was held at Kynuna Station.  Police Magistrate, Ernest Eglington, travelled from Winton to conduct it. Dr Welford accompanied him to carry out a post mortem. Evidence was given by shearers who were in the camp when Hoffmeister died.  The coroner found that the cause of Hoffmeister's death was "suicide" – a single gunshot to the mouth. That finding has, in 2010, been questioned.<ref>"Waltzing Matilda an old cold case". Abc.net.au. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 18 May 2018.</ref>

Banjo Paterson was a first-class horseman and loved riding. It is likely that he would have seized any opportunity to go riding at Dagworth. Bob Macpherson (the brother of Christina) and Paterson went riding together and, in Christina's words, "they came to a waterhole (or billabong) & found the skin of a sheep which had been recently killed—all that had been left by a swagman". This incident may have inspired the second verse.<ref>{{cite web|author=Macpherson, Christina|title=Undated letter from Christina Macpherson to Dr Thomas Wood, image 2|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075644/view|via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Tom Ryan worked at Dagworth in 1895 and recorded an incident in which Paterson accompanied Dagworth horse breaker, Jack Lawton, when he went to the Combo to bring in a mob of horses. They brought them part of the way in and then put them against a fence running into a waterhole. Lawton then took the saddle from his horse and gave it a swim. He then stripped off and dived from a gum tree into the waterhole. Paterson followed suit. Jack then noticed that the mob of horses were walking away and would probably go back to their starting point. He jumped on his own horse without waiting to don any clothes and galloped after the mob. He was surprised, on looking around, to find his companion had again followed his example. On reaching the station that night, Paterson told him it was the best day's outing he had ever had.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ryan, Tom|title=ORIGIN OF WALTZING MATILDA|publisher=Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Queensland)|date=24 August 1944|page=2|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/56315823}}</ref>

Banjo's stay at Dagworth Station was short. He would have spent at least 16 days travelling during his absence from Sydney.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 p 171, 172</ref> While claims are made that he attended Combo Waterhole, they are not confirmed by Banjo or others who were present at the time of any visit there.  There is no evidence that Banjo made the 52&nbsp;km round trip to the Four Mile Billabong where Hoffmeister's body was found. It is highly unlikely that he would have had time to do so during his short stay at Dagworth Station.

===Christina's manuscripts===
Paterson returned to Sydney in early September. Sometime later, Banjo wrote to Christina and asked her to send him a copy of the music of their song. This presented Christina with a serious problem: Christina played music by ear: she did not use sheet music. Writing down music from memory is quite challenging, even for musicians who read music well. It is extremely challenging for one who does not. In Christina's own words, "I am no musician but did my best."<ref>NLA trove, Papers relating to the song "Waltzing Matilda", circa 1900–1986 [manuscript]. Undated letter from Christina Macpherson to Dr. Thomas Wood (author of Cobbers, 1934) p 3,4 https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075769/view</ref> Christina managed to get hold of some 12-stave manuscript paper and wrote a first draft, writing down the notes of her song on the stave, as little open circles, at the pitch, and in the order that she remembered them. Christina would have used a piano to help her do this. She made no effort to indicate the lengths of the notes. In bar 9, Christina wrote the first 2 notes as a C. This was a mistake: they should have been B flat. Christina corrected this in a later manuscript. Christina had a very good ear. Unfortunately, Christina had very limited ability to represent the time value of notes. Her full drafts have many mistakes. Some are minor and easily corrected. Some are fundamentally wrong. Christina's final drafts do not accurately represent the melody that she sang, and as written, they are unplayable. Despite this, it is possible to infer, with considerable accuracy, the melody of the tune that Christina recalled when she eventually drafted the manuscript and it established the Scottish origin of the song.<ref>nla "Who'll come a "Waltzing Matilda" with me. The first manuscripts of "Waltzing Matilda", archived 2011, retrieved 27 Sept 2024, https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110606173517/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig-FirstManuscript.html</ref><ref>O'Keefe, Dennis, "Waltzing Matilda", The Secret History of Australia's Favourite Song, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, London, 83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest, NSW, 2065, Australia, pages 255,256.</ref>

In 2001, Australian folk singer, Dave de Hugard, made a recording of the original "Waltzing Matilda" based on his interpretation of the Macpherson/Paterson manuscript. This can be heard at archived exhibition, "Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me?" at the national library of Australia. In 2014, American musician, Robbie Hateley, uploaded his interpretation of Christina's manuscript to YouTube. His upload is based on good quality research mainly from the national library of Australia.  While the singers use different styles, the melody adopted by both is very similar. This melody is probably similar to the melody that Christina and others sang in 1895<ref>de Hugard, Dave. 2001. nla "Who'll come a "Waltzing Matilda" with me". Versions, The Macpherson/Paterson version. Archived 2011, retrieved 1 Oct 2024,  https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110606173517/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig-FirstManuscript.html</ref><ref>Hatley, Robbie. Upload of "Christina Macpherson's Waltzing Matilda" to YouTube, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5-CoBkzCLs</ref>

It is not known when Banjo wrote to Christina or where Christina was when the manuscripts were written. Christina may have still been in Queensland or she may have returned to Melbourne. Christina wrote at least 3 full drafts of the song. She kept one, now known as the Macpherson manuscript. She sent one to Banjo and gave another to W. B. Bartlam, the manager of a station adjoining Dagworth at the time. This one is now known as the Bartlam-Roulston manuscript. The Bartlam-Roulston manuscript has the correct notes at the beginning of bar 9, indicating that it was written after the Macpherson manuscript. The manuscript that she kept was passed down to her sister, Margaret (McArthur) who in turn passed it down to her daughter, Diana (Baillieu). It was made public in 1992 and was later donated it to the National Library of Australia. The Bartlams knew what their manuscript was, but no one believed them until 1971. This allowed some myths about the song to grow. Both full drafts and the first draft are held at the National Library of Australia. The manuscript sent to Paterson was lost.<ref>{{Cite web|title=07 Jun 2011 – Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me? – Archived Website|url=http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig-FirstManuscript.html|archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20110606173517/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/1-Orig-FirstManuscript.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2011-06-06|access-date=2024-04-19|via=Trove|language=en}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Memories and miscellanea===
Some 40 years later, and not long before Christina died, Christina and Banjo each left different accounts of their recollection of the events surrounding the writing of "Waltzing Matilda". In the early 1930s, English musician Dr Thomas Wood worked his way around Australia as a music examiner and searched for Australian folk songs. He was captivated by "Waltzing Matilda". In 1931, the Argus newspaper reported him saying that 'Waltzing Matilda' was written on a moment's inspiration by Banjo Paterson, his sister composing the music equally spontaneously.<ref>Wood, Dr Thomas, The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957) / Fri 27 March 1931 / Page 9 / MUSIC IN AUSTRALIA</ref> In 1934, in his book "Cobbers", Wood wrote a brief, colourful, but very incomplete account of the composition of "Waltzing Matilda".<ref>Wood, Thomas. ''Cobbers''. Oxford University Press, London, 1934. P 234</ref> Christina carefully drafted a letter to him to set the record straight but did not date or send it. In it, Christina stated that when the first verse was written, she had travelled to Winton with her brothers and that she had heard the music played by a band at Warrnambool. Christina then added more information from 1895 through to the song's inclusion in the "Australasian Students Song Book", which was published in 1911. Christina had a comprehensive memory and was proud of her role in producing the song.<ref>Macpherson, Christina, Undated letter from Christina Macpherson to Dr Thomas Wood (author of Cobbers, 1934) (Item 1), circa 1935, Image 1, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075521/view</ref> About the same time, for a talk on [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] radio, Paterson wrote that in 1894 the shearers staged a strike by way of expressing themselves, and Macpherson's shearing shed was burnt down, and a man was picked up dead. .... while resting for lunch or changing horses on our four-in-hand-journeys, Miss Macpherson, afterwards the wife of financial magnate, J McCall McCowan, used to play a little Scottish tune on a zither, and I put words to the tune and called it "Waltzing Matilda". These scanty details complement Christina's account but do not suggest that the song meant a lot to him. Paterson also attributed the playing of the music to the wrong Macpherson sister. Christina's sister Jean married McCall McCowan. Christina never married.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 pages 241, 242</ref> As time passed, Banjo's memories of his trip to Dagworth faded.

Some 30 years later again and also for a talk on ABC radio, Hugh Paterson, Banjo's son, wrote his recollection of what Banjo had told him about the role that the autoharp played in the composition of "Waltzing Matilda". When Christina played her tune derived from "Bonnie Wood of Craigielea", Banjo said, "I told her that I thought I could write some whimsical words to match the tune's appeal to me...... We were too far out in the 'never-never' for pianos. But Miss Macpherson played it for me on an autoharp while I wrote the words that seemed to me to express its whimsicality and dreaminess."<ref>"Banjo Paterson – A Portrait from Memory". A radio broadcast on ABC Radio, 17 February 1964.</ref>

For many years, it was believed that the song was first performed on 6 April 1895 by Sir Herbert Ramsay, 5th Bart., at the North Gregory Hotel in [[Winton, Queensland]]. The occasion was a banquet for the Premier of Queensland. This day is still celebrated as 'Waltzing Matilda Day'. In fact, Christina, Jean and Ewen Macpherson left Melbourne on the SS Wodonga on 1 June 1895 and the song was not written until probably late August. "Waltzing Matilda" was certainly not sung on 6 April 1895. Sir Herbert Ramsay did sing "Waltzing Matilda" when Bob Macpherson, Christina and Banjo visited Oondooroo Station, owned by the Ramsay family probably in the first week of September 1895. Herbert was dressed up as a swagman and his photo was taken.<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 pages 158,181,124</ref>

Barrister, Trevor Monti, made a study of the transcript of the Coronial inquest into the death of Samuel Hoffmeister. In February 2010, [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] reported his opinion that the death of Hoffmeister was more akin to a gangland assassination than to suicide.<ref name=abc-coldcase>{{cite web|title=Waltzing Matilda an old cold case|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-02-12/waltzing-matilda-an-old-cold-case/329506|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|access-date=20 January 2013|date=10 February 2010}}</ref>

===Alternative theories===
Given the tumultuous events of the shearers' strike and the burning down of 8 shearing sheds in the Winton & Kynuna districts in 1894, and given Paterson's socialist views, it is not difficult to see why historians look for a political allegory in the words of "Waltzing Matilda", penned in the districts in 1895. Ross Fitzgerald, emeritus professor in history and politics at [[Griffith University]], argued that the defeat of the strike only a year or so before the song's creation, would have been in Paterson's mind, most likely consciously but at least "unconsciously", and thus was likely to have been an inspiration for the song.<ref name="ABC" /> Fitzgerald stated, "the two things aren't mutually exclusive"<ref name="ABC"/>{{mdash}}a view shared by others, who, while not denying the significance of Paterson's relationship with Macpherson, nonetheless recognise the underlying story of the shearers' strike and Hoffmeister's death in the lyrics of the song.<ref name="o'keeffe-book">{{harvnb|O'Keeffe|2012|p={{page needed|date=November 2020}}}}</ref>

According to writer, Mathew Richardson, the 'swagman', at his most corporeal, is Frenchy Hoffmeister, 
who actually committed suicide by a billabong......In a more general way, the swagman represents the 
'free citizen, the itinerant with no vote, no award, no arbitration, standing for the union'.<ref>Richardson, Mathew, 'Once a Jolly Swagman, The Ballad of Waltzing Matilda', 2006, Melbourne University Press, 187 Grattan 
Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia. Page 92
</ref>

These theories were not shared by other historians. In 2008, Australian writers and historians Peter and Sheila Forrest claimed that the widespread belief that Paterson had penned the ballad as a socialist anthem, inspired by the Great Shearers' Strike, was false and a "misappropriation" by political groups.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-05-05|title=Waltzing Matilda 'not socialist'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7384056.stm|access-date=2024-04-19|language=en-GB}}</ref> The Forrests asserted that Paterson had in fact written the self-described "[[wikt:ditty|ditty]]" as part of his flirtation with Christina Macpherson, despite his engagement to Sarah Riley.<ref name="ABC">{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/05/2235263.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505095048/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/05/2235263.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2008|title="Waltzing Maltida"<!--sic--> a little ditty, historians say|publisher=ABC News|location=Australia|date=5 May 2008}}</ref>

The original words of the first two lines of the first chorus of 'Waltzing Matilda' are, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda my darling? Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me?'<ref>> https://www.rogerclarke.com/WM/Manuscript.gif<</ref> In 2019, in ''Waltzing Matilda- Australia's Accidental Anthem'', W Benjamin Lindner asks two questions. "Is 'Waltzing Matilda' a serenade and who was the 'darling' to whom Paterson posed the question, 'Who'll come a'waltzing Matilda with me?{{'"}} Lindner gives the unequivocal answer, {{"'}}Waltzing Matilda' is a serenade to Paterson's musical muse, Christina."<ref>Lindner, W Benjamin. Waltzing Matilda ─ Australia's Accidental Anthem. Boolarong Press. Tingalpa, Queensland, Australia. 2019. ISBN 9781925877076 pp. 44/5</ref>

Graham Seal, Professor of Folklore at Curtain University, WA, wrote that "Waltzing Matilda" is – "let's be honest – a pretty silly ditty about a swaggie knocking off a sheep and throwing himself in the billabong when the squatter and the cops turn up."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gristlyhistory.blog/author/grahamseal/page/7/|title=Graham Seal|website=Gristlyhistory.blog|access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>
 
Several alternative theories for the origins of the words of "Waltzing Matilda" have been proposed since the time it was written. Some oral stories collected during the twentieth century claimed that Paterson had merely modified an existing bush song, but there is no evidence for this. In 1905, Paterson himself published a book of [[bush ballad]]s he had collected from around Australia entitled ''Old Bush Songs'', with nothing resembling "Waltzing Matilda" in it. Nor do any other publications or recordings of bush ballads include anything to suggest it preceded Paterson. Meanwhile, manuscripts from the time the song originated indicate the song's origins with Paterson and Christina Macpherson, as do their own recollections and other pieces of evidence.<ref name="o'keeffe-book"/>

===History of the music===
The story of "Waltzing Matilda" began in West Paisley, Scotland, about 2&nbsp;km south of where Glasgow airport is today. Robert Tannahill, the weaver poet, wrote a poem, "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea", prior to 1806. It was written in the pattern chorus, verse, chorus, verse, ready to be set to music.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Songs of Robert Tannahill: BONNIE WOOD O CRAIGIELEE|url=https://www.grianpress.com/Tannahill/TANNAHILL'S%20SONGS%203.htm|access-date=2024-04-19|website=grianpress.com}}</ref> Tannahill's friend James Barr set it to music, and it was published in 1818. Barr's song was unusually melodious: it used four 4-bar phrases in a 16-bar song. It had the musical form ABCD. In 1850, an arrangement was published in  'The Lyric Gems of Scotland', page 65,<ref>{{Cite web|title=(75) Page 65 – Bonnie wood of Craigielee – Glen Collection of printed music > Printed music > Lyric gems of Scotland – Special collections of printed music – National Library of Scotland|url=https://digital.nls.uk/special-collections-of-printed-music/archive/90262109|access-date=2024-04-19|website=digital.nls.uk}}</ref> which was written in the pattern verse, chorus, verse, chorus, and it dropped the second phrase of the verse and repeated the first. It had the musical form AABC. In 1880, an arrangement by T S Gleadhill, published in 'Kyles Scottish Lyric Gems', pages 244, 245, also dropped the second phrase of the verse and repeated the first.<ref>https://electricscotland.com/poetry/kyles.pdf P 255</ref> Thomas Bulch, an English expat living in Australia, wrote a quick march arrangement for brass band, called 'Craigielee' most likely in 1891.<ref>Trove. Article in 'The Ballarat Star', Victoria, Thu 17 Sep 1891, page 2     https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204315792?searchTerm=craigielee%20parker</ref> The opening strain of 'Craigielee' was 'Bonnie Wood of Craigielea' with the musical form AABC. It is very close to the melody in the "Lyric Gems" and perhaps even closer to the melody in Gleadhill's "Kyles Scottish Lyric Gems". This was the tune that caught Christina Macpherson's attention at the races at Warrnambool, Victoria, in 1894.<ref>Magoffin, Richard. 'Waltzing Matilda, The story behind the legend' from ABC.TV's 'A Big Country'. Published by ABC Enterprises for the AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING COMPANY, Box 9994, GPO Sydney NSW, second edition 1987. Pages 28, 29.</ref> Christina had a good ear and, when she next sat at a piano, she tried to play the opening strain. Christina remembered the AAB phrases and transcribed them into bars 1 to 12 of her tune. For some reason, Christina did not transcribe the C phrase into bars 13 to 16 of her tune. Instead, she repeated bars 5 to 8 in bars 13 to 16. This gave Christina's tune the musical form AABA, popular American style. This is the musical form of "Waltzing Matilda" sung today.

One more change needed to be made. The tune that Christina played for Banjo was written to set the poem "Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea" to music. The words of its chorus are, 
<blockquote><poem>
Thou bonnie wood of Craigielee,
Thou bonnie wood of Craigielee,
Near thee I pass'd life's early day,
An' won my Mary's heart in thee.<ref name=semple /></poem></blockquote>

The number of syllables in each line is 8, 8, 8, 7. The verses are the same.

The words of the original chorus of Christina's Waltzing Matilda are 
<blockquote><poem>
Who'll come a Waltzing Matilda my darling?
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water bag,
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me?<ref>https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2873494891/view link to Paterson's 1982 diary used as a notebook.</ref></poem></blockquote>

The number of syllables in each line is 11, 10, 12, 10. The verses are similar.

As Banjo and Christina collaborated on their song, Christina had to add more notes to her initial tune. She did this by breaking up several notes in each line into shorter ones. While doing this, Christina retained the shape of the melody and the typical 2/4 type rhythm of 'Craigielee'. Typical of songs with multiple verses, the melody had to be changed slightly in some verses to fit the meter of the words. Christina and Banjo would have had some arguments, Christina wanting to preserve the tune and Banjo wanting the strict meter of the lyrics to be preserved. Despite this, the two tunes sound very similar. Many may even say that they are the same.

This tune did not spread very quickly: an electronic search of Australian newspapers between 1895 and 1902, using trove, reveals only two reports of 'Waltzing Matilda' being sung. On 9 October 1900, the governor of Queensland visited Winton and Mr. A. Ramsay sang 'Waltzing Matilda', "one of Banjo Patterson's ditties composed in the Winton district."<ref>{{Cite news|date=1900-10-09|title=Whiffs from Winton.|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article76563712|access-date=2024-04-19|work=Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central-Western Districts}}</ref> On 23 November 1901, the Hughenden representative of the N.Q. Herald reported that, {{"'}}Waltzing Matilda' is all the rage here now." Three regional newspapers printed the words of the "quaint trifle", but not the tune. Some of the words had been changed and resembled the words later used by Marie Cowan.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite news|date=1901-11-23|title=A POPULAR BUSH SONG.|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article207962110|access-date=2024-04-19|work=Evening Journal}}</ref>

===Alternative theories and myths===
There has been speculation<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/index.php?p=c1-06|url-status=dead|via=National Library of Australia|title=The Bold Fusilier|date=1 June 2011|access-date=7 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614211352/http://www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/index.php?p=c1-06|archive-date=14 June 2011}}</ref> about the similarity of "Waltzing Matilda" and a British song, "The Bold Fusilier" or "The Gay Fusilier" (also known as "Marching through Rochester", referring to [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] in Kent and the [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]]). Author Matthew Richardson writes that a "direct creative link is indisputable" between the two and that Banjo Paterson would have been familiar with "The Bold Fusilier" and was likely guided by the pattern and sound.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Richardson|first=Matthew|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_PZAAAAMAAJ|title=Once a Jolly Swagman: The Ballad of Waltzing Matilda|date=2006|publisher=Melbourne University Publishing|isbn=978-0-522-85308-7|pages=116, 122, 123|language=en}}</ref> The similarity is so obvious that one is clearly a copy of the other. "The Bold Fusilier" is dated by some to the start of the 18th century.<ref>''[[The Times]]'', 15 September 2003, "Sporting anthems", Section: Features; p. 17.</ref> 
In the early 1900s only one verse and chorus of the song were known. This snippet was printed in ''The Bulletin'' magazine in Sydney, Australia on 8 October 1941.<ref>May, Sydney. The Story of Waltzing Matilda, 1955. W. R. Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane. P 27</ref>
<blockquote><poem>Verse: A gay fusilier was marching down through Rochester
Bound for the wars in the low country,
And he cried as he tramped through the drear streets of Rochester,
Who'll be a sojer for Marlboro with me?</poem></blockquote>
<blockquote><poem>Chorus: Who'll be a sojer, Who'll be a sojer,
Who'll be a sojer for Marlboro with me?
And he cried as he tramped through the drear streets of Rochester,
Who'll be a sojer for Marlboro with me?</poem></blockquote> The song sung today has the musical form AABA and is sung to the same tune as Marie Cowan's "Waltzing Matilda", published in Sydney, Australia, in 1903. The lyrics describe events as happening in Rochester, England, during the reign of Queen Anne, 1702 to 1714. It was widely, though not universally, accepted that the song was written at that time.<ref>May, Sydney. The Story of Waltzing Matilda, 1944. W. R. Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane. P 17</ref> English folklore authority [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]] considered that the earlier existence of the song was very doubtful because its language was not appropriate to the early eighteenth century.<ref>Magoffin, Richard. 'Waltzing Matilda, Ballad of the Fair Go', second edition 2005, Pictorial Press, Australia, PO Box 388, Corinda, Qld, 4075 page 6</ref> There is no documentary proof that "The Bold Fusilier" existed before 1900.<ref>ibid</ref> The song has the musical form AABA, which suggests a much later origin. On the other hand, the origin of "Waltzing Matilda" can be traced from "Thou Bonny Wood of Craigie Lee" published in 1818. Hearsay evidence exists that "Waltzing Matilda" was sung by Australian soldiers in South Africa during the Boer War and that the British troops returned friendly fire by singing "The Gay/Bold Fusilier" as a parody. 
In about 1970, English folk singer Peter Coe reworked the existing first verse and chorus and added another four verses. This song, a timeless comment about war, is quite popular today and has spawned other similar lyrics.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Gay Fusilier / Marching Through Rochester / The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant [trad. / Pete Coe]|url=https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/songs/thegayfusilier.html|access-date=2024-04-19|website=mainlynorfolk.info}}</ref> Peter's song is called "The Rochester Recruiting Sergeant".

In his 1987 book, Richard Magoffin speculated that the music of "Waltzing Matilda" may have been sourced from an Irish Jig, "Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself", which was probably composed by Irishman, John Field, and which began to appear in print about 1797. In a letter to Magoffin, the City Librarian of Dublin Library said that he thought he could detect a slight resemblance in it to "Waltzing Matilda".  This is very tenuous evidence. Magoffin also went to say that it would be nice to think that the Irish have played a part in providing Australia with her song.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself – John Field – Peter Medhurst|url=https://petermedhurst.com/recordings/go-to-the-devil-and-shake-yourself-john-field/|access-date=2024-04-19}}</ref><ref>Magoffin, Richard. (1987). "Waltzing Matilda, The Story behind the Legend." ABC Enterprises for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation P 28, 29. ISBN 0 642 53047 5</ref>

Until the internet arrived, it was extremely difficult for researchers to access old music. Now, with YouTube and digital collections of old music, it is a quick and simple task. An audio file of "Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself" can be heard, and the sheet music can be viewed, in the external links, at the above references and numerous other websites. It is now obvious to anyone that there is no resemblance between it and "Waltzing Matilda".<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6NJRwplkMQ|title=John Field – Rondo on 'Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself'|language=en|access-date=2024-04-19|via=YouTube}}</ref>

===Ownership===
On 12 January 1903, Paterson sold the rights to "Waltzing Matilda" and "some other pieces" to [[Angus & Robertson]] for "a fiver", five [[Australian pound]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Walsh|first=Richard|year=2010|title=Traditional Australian Verse: The Essential Collection|page=153|publisher=ReadHowYouWant|isbn=978-1458720146}}</ref><ref name="auto3"/> A good shearer could easily make more than that in a week.<ref>O'Keefe, Dennis, Waltzing Matilda, The secret history of Australia's favourite song, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, London, Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia, page 115</ref> Very soon after, tea trader [[James Inglis (politician)|James Inglis]], owner of Inglis and Co., purchased the musical rights to 'Waltzing Matilda' from Angus and Robertson for 5 guineas (5 pounds and 5 shillings).<ref>May, Sydney, The Story of 'Waltzing Matilda', 1955, W. R. 'Smith & Paterson PTY. LTD. Brisbane, page 41</ref> Inglis asked Marie Cowan, who was married to his accountant, to 'rejig' the song for use as an advertising [[jingle]] for the Billy Tea company, making it nationally famous.<ref name = SMH2002>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/19/1040174344781.html|title="Waltzing Matilda", courtesy of a tea-leaf near you|last=Safran|first=John|author-link=John Safran|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=20 December 2002}}</ref> Within two months of Paterson selling the copyright, musicians could buy a copy of Marie Cowan's altered lyrics set to a new arrangement of Christina's music for 9 pence.<ref>Rutledge, Martha. "[http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/inglis-james-3834/text6087 Inglis, James (1845–1908)]", ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 1972. Retrieved 30 August 2018</ref><ref>Pemberton, Greg. "[https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/waltzing-matildas-origins-and-chain-of-ownership-murky-20150813-giykvr.html Waltzing Matilda's origins and chain of ownership murky]." ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 14 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2018</ref><ref>The new song, Waltzing Matilda, Trove, The Port Macquarie News and Hastings River Advocate, Sat 14 March 1903 Page 2, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104758</ref>

Although by 1996, no [[copyright]] applied to the song in Australia and many other countries, the Australian Olympic organisers had to pay royalties to an American publisher, [[Carl Fischer Music]], following the song being played at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] held in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/25/technology/screen-grab-tale-of-the-jumbuck-and-the-billabong-interpreted.html|title=Screen Grab; Tale of the Jumbuck and the Billabong, Interpreted|first=Michael|last=Pollack|work=The New York Times|date=25 January 2001}}</ref> According to some reports, the song was copyrighted by Carl Fischer Music in 1941 as an original composition.<ref name=RCCopyright>{{cite web|url=http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/WM/Copyright.html|title=Copyright in "Waltzing Matilda"|work=Roger Clarke's "Waltzing Matilda" site|last=Clarke|first=Roger|year=2001|access-date=3 November 2008|quote=The copyright has presumably expired in Australia (and in almost every other country in the world), because in most Western countries copyright lasts for only 50 years after the death of the originator. Carl Fischer Musics' copyright hold is due to end in 2011. Banjo Paterson died in 1941 and Marie Cowan in 1919, so these copyrights ought to have expired in 1991 and 1969 respectively. In the United States other rules hold and copyright for the song still appears to exist. It is claimed by Carl Fischer New York Inc.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709001035/http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/WM/Copyright.html|archive-date=9 July 2008}}</ref> However, ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' reported that Carl Fischer Music had collected the royalties on behalf of Messrs Allan & Co, an Australian publisher that claimed to have bought the original copyright, though Allan's claim "remains unclear".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/waltzing-matildas-origins-and-chain-of-ownership-murky-20150813-giykvr.html|title=Waltzing Matilda's origins and chain of ownership murky|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=14 August 2015|author=Greg Pemberton|access-date=27 December 2016}}</ref> Arrangements such as those claimed by Richard D. Magoffin remain in copyright in America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=2&ti=1,2&Search%5FArg=Magoffin%2C%20Richard&Search%5FCode=NALL&CNT=25&PID=MIQy1jkBBh3x8MXb8aKAx3BAN&SEQ=20081103061245&SID=1|title=WebVoyage Record View 1|publisher=Cocatalog.loc.gov|access-date=1 July 2009}}</ref> <!-- Australia now follows America and Europe with a 70 instead of 50-year period from death for copyright except on all material that has fallen out of copyright before 2005! -->