Belafonte is perhaps best known for singing the "Banana Boat Song", with its signature lyric "Day-O". Throughout his career, he was an advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes.
Belafonte won three Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award), an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. In 1989, he received the Kennedy Center Honors. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1994. In 2014, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards and in 2022 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category and was the oldest living person to have received the honor.
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Waltzing Matilda
Harry Belafonte Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he sat and waited till his Billy boiled
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 come the troopers, one, two, three
Whose 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
Whose that jolly Jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
Up jumped the Swagman, sprang into the Billabong
Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree
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
The lyrics to Harry Belafonte's "Waltzing Matilda" tell the story of a swagman (a traveling worker who carries his belongings in a knapsack, or "swag") who camps by a billabong (a small body of water that is only full during the rainy season) under a Coolibah tree. He sings a song, inviting his listeners to waltz with him, and waits for his billy (a tin used for boiling water) to boil. A jumbuck (a wild sheep) comes to drink at the billabong, and the swagman seizes it with delight and puts it in his tucker bag (a bag used for carrying food). He sings his song again, inviting his listener to join him. However, the squatter (a wealthy landowner) rides up on his horse and demands to know whose jumbuck is in the swagman's tucker bag. Three troopers (police officers) accompany the squatter. The swagman understands that he is in trouble and jumps into the billabong, drowning himself. His ghost is said to haunt any who pass the billabong since.
The song is usually interpreted as a criticism of the authorities who chased and punished petty criminals in Australia in the late 19th century. The jumbuck was the swagman's food, but he was not supposed to hunt on the squatter's land. As a result, he was persecuted, and he chose death over capture.
Line by Line Meaning
Once a jolly Swagman, camped by a Billabong
A happy traveler was resting by a small body of water
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree
He found comfort under the leaves of a tall tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his Billy boiled
As he waited for his water to boil, he sang a tune with joy
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
He invited a companion to join him in his wandering journey
Down came a Jumbuck to drink at that Billabong
A sheep approached the water for a drink
Up jumped the Swagman and grabbed him with glee
The traveler seized the opportunity and caught the sheep happily
And he sang as he shoved that Jumbuck in his tucker bag
As he stored the sheep in his bag, he continued to sing joyfully
Up rode the squatter mounted on his thoroughbred
The wealthy landowner arrived on horseback
Down come the troopers, one, two, three
The police came soon after
Whose that jolly Jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
The authorities demanded to know who owned the sheep
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
The authorities threatened to take the traveler with them
Up jumped the Swagman, sprang into the Billabong
The traveler jumped into the water to avoid capture
Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree
Unfortunately, the traveler could not swim and lost his life
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that Billabong
The man's spirit is said to still haunt the area where he died
You'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
The traveler's invitation still stands, even in death
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: DP, PATTERSON, JOHN FRANCIS KANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paul Gleitman
Shows his great versatility.He wasn't just about "calypso ".Belafonte was the greatest folk singer of all time .He stylized the genre .Also could do blues ,ballads ,spirituals , gospel and more. He is now ninety .His music has been entertaining me for sixty three years .May the good Lord bless him and watch over him.
Edda Simon
Another great facette by a great artist🌹❤️🍀
Mam Mun
I reeeaaally love this version. I can understand that u Aussies find it strange, but I grew up dancing with my sisters to this song. Salutt Harry Belafone n his calypsooooo
Junkman2000
My father use to sing this song to my siblings and I when we were kids. It always made me sad because it always seemed like a sad song. Darn minor chords!
Mahmood Khawaga
This one is rare. I heard it once on the radio in 1967; fiddling with a four-track tape recorder and a lousy mic aside the lousy radio. It became the first song I ever played on a lousy guitar ... and I never heard it again, until I stumbled upon it on YouTube.. People always ask me for this. Is this what they call "The Queensland Version"?
Whatever; thanks for bringing my childhood back to me. My tapes got lost long time ago.
James Denton
I didn't think Harry Belafonte could do an up beat version of this song.
He did. How? I don't know. But he did.
pon2oon
Well, it seems had a passion for this song and the nation it came from.
JudgeJulieLit
Throughout his career, Harry Belafonte in concert has sung and emoted many varied, inspired arrangements of stock songs, as his 1997 SUNY concert alternative (maturer man's) upbeat, celebratory treatment of the (younger man's) sad romantic ballad "Jamaica Farewell"; and his 1988 Global Carnival "Matilda" choral passage in High Baroque. He keeps the material fresh by evolving it into new moods, tempos and emotive emphases, and via varying instrumentation. Any melody can be given any treatment.
Mrs. G.
I observed there are two melodies to this song. What's more traditional? I like both, but this the one I heard first, thanks to this album.
Frank Flannery
Beautiful He even uses the Aussie accent