an original composition. 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". Arrangements such as those claimed by Richard D. Magoffin remain in copyright in America. Cowan's melody Source. Lyrics Typical lyrics There are no "official" lyrics to "Waltzing Matilda" and slight variations can be found in different sources. Paterson's original lyrics referred to the swagman "drowning himself 'neath the Coolibah Tree". The following lyrics are the Cowan version. Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong Under the shade of a coolibah tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his "Billy" boiled, "You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me." Chorus: Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till 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." (Chorus) Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred. Down came the troopers, one, two, and three. "Whose is that jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag? You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me." (Chorus) Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong. "You'll never catch me alive!" said he And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong: "You'll come a-waltzing Matilda, with me." (Chorus) Glossary The lyrics contain many distinctively Australian English words, some now rarely used outside the song. These include: Waltzing derived from the German term auf der Walz, which means to travel while working as a craftsman and learn new techniques from other masters. Matilda a romantic term for a swagman's bundle. See below, "Waltzing Matilda". Waltzing Matilda from the above terms, "to waltz Matilda" is to travel with a swag, that is, with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth. The exact origins of the term "Matilda" are disputed; one fanciful derivation states that when swagmen met each other at their gatherings, there were rarely women to dance with. Nonetheless, they enjoyed a dance and so danced with their swags, which was given a woman's name. However, this appears to be