Waltzing Matilda

Another surreal Cairo moment: I'm sitting in Caffe Greco, my favorite coffee shop, working on financial statements and sipping a latte. The current weird song? Not Celine Dion, not Leann Rimes, no cheesy pop music...just the unofficial national anthem of Australia - Waltzing Matilda, the most widely know Australian bush ballad. So odd.

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of a coolabah tree,

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,

Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,

And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,

Down came the troopers, one, two, three,

"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,

"You'll never take me alive", said he,

And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"

And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

"Oh, You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

On another note...how did I know the Waltzing Matilda song? Because I was homeschooled, and my mother believes in fun, hands-on education, so when we studied Australia, we ate Australian foods, made aboriginal art, learned about Dingos, and sang Waltzing Matilda til we were blue in the face.