G'day Rollo,

There is a strong "German" presence in the area in which Paterson composed the words to Waltzing Matilda ... partly in response to hearing Christina McPherson play a partly remebered version of the Scottish song melody Thou Bonny Wood of CraigieleaWaltzing Matilda The so-called Germans" of the area were mostly political / religious / economic refugees from Bismarck's conquests of their formerly independent nations, principalities and duchies. Many of them would have brought that phrase "auf der waltz" from their journeyman days in their trades - when, as journeymen, they went "auf der waltz" carrying their tool-roll, often called by the name "Mathilda". A lot of young German tradesmen were forced to migrate by German restrictions on new tradesmen.

A lot more would have been aware of the soldiers' name "Mathilda" for the their blanket rolls - or an overcoat used as a bedding roll. They would also have been aware of the (pseudo-erotic) jokes made about sleeping with their Mathilda - since "Mechilde" or "Mathilda" was a generic name for a female camp-follower ... often a prostitute.

All of this may explain the undercurrent of belief in an earlier song that Paterson learned (or "collected") in the area and reworked to come up with a pretty song for Christina's tune (and impress this nice young lady, who was getting more of his attention than his fiancé of 7 years ... and not much longer!). It may be that there is a (now lost) soldiers' song behind Waltzing Matilda ... not the naff "Marlborough" confection of the 1950s ... but a really bawdy epic in German.

A pity we are 100 years too late to find out!

Regards,

Bob Bolton