I stand corrected!
But it sounds as if you swapped one dull dirge for another
When our children were very young I was choirmaster and dedicated to keep them amused on long journeys ....
Waltzing Matilda was one of the favourites (and one of the few to which I could remember the words .... ) along with
Ilkley Moor baht At,
Widdecombe Fair,
John Brown's Body - all good
long songs with the mention of ghosts always helpful in keeping youngsters quiet!
Great to know that about Banjo Patterson - he deserves an anthem, I reckon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Jolly Swagman
Paul, sorry to correct you, but Waltzing Matilda was never our national anthem  A lot of people think/thought, that so you are not alone. Our anthem was "God Save the Queen" for many years until we took a vote to change it, and the now, "Advance Australia Fair" was adopted. Waltzing Matilda was a poem about a swagman (Tramp) who stole a sheep. The poem was set to music and is often sung at sporting events as a kind of rallying call. My Avatar is the statue of The Jolly Swagman that is found at the town of Winton , Queensland ,where Banjo patterson wrote the poem |