Over the course of his career, he collected more gold and platinum albums than any other Australian artist.
Dusty not only recorded songs written by himself and other fellow Australian performers, but also recorded classic Australian poems by Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson with new tunes, to call attention to the old 'Bush Ballads.' An example is The Man from Snowy River by Paterson.
In 1970, he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music. In 1971 he won Best Single at the Australian Country Music Awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival (Slim's wife Joy McKean won Song of the Year as writer of the song for which he won best single). In all, he won a record 35 "Golden Guitars" over the years.
He died at home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 after a protracted battle with cancer, at age 76.
The Slim Dusty Story started back in the 1940s on a remote dairy farm in the hills behind Kempsey, NSW, when a 10-year-old boy dreamed of being a country music singer. His name was David Gordon Kirkpatrick... he called himself "Slim Dusty" and began to live that dream.
But even the most optimistic farm boy would never have imagined the life that was to unfold... a life that would establish Slim as the voice of the nation, the chronicler of Australian history in song.
Slim managed to hold on to those early visions of writing and singing about the bush because during his lengthy career, he always stayed in touch with his audience. And he did this in a very real and meaningful way, so much so that his fans would feel that Slim was one of their mates and his songs "just a good yarn you might hear from a mate at the pub, around a campfire in the bush or at a back yard barbie".
He described his music as "songs about real Australians... "I have to be fair dinkum with my audience. I can't see any other way of doing it," he said. "You have to believe in what you are singing about."
Slim Dusty was the first Australian to have a number one hit record and the only Australian to ever receive a 78rpm Gold Record (for A Pub With No Beer in 1958)...
He was the first Australian to have an international record hit and the first singer in the world to have his voice beamed to earth from space (astronauts Bob Crippen and John Young played Slim's recording of Waltzing Matilda from the space shuttle "Columbia" as it passed over Australia back in 1983).
During an amazingly successful career spanning over six decades, Slims' continued popularity saw him rewarded with more Gold and Platinum Awards for sales of his singles, eight-tracks, cassettes, CD's, videos and DVDs... more than any other Australian artist!
He received an unequaled 37 Golden Guitar Awards, two ARIA's (Australian Recording Industry Association awards), inductions into the ARIA Hall of Fame and the Australian Country Music Roll of Renown.
Slim was recognized for his long time services to Australian entertainment with an MBE and an Order of Australia. In 1999, Prime Minister John Howard named Slim Dusty Australia's Father of the Year and Senior Australian of the Year. There were many other awards and honors... too many to name here!
Dusty died at his home in St Ives, New South Wales on 19 September 2003 at the age of 76, after a protracted battle with cancer.
Waltzing Matilda
Slim Dusty Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
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
He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled,
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
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
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,
Up rode the troopers, one, two, three,
With the 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
With the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, you scoundrel with me.
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.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
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.
Slim Dusty's "Waltzing Matilda" is one of the most popular songs in Australian folk music, and tells the story of a swagman (a traveling worker who carries his belongings in a bundle called a swag) who camps by a billabong (a small waterhole), and sings as he waits for his billy (a tin pot for boiling water) to boil. He invites Matilda to come waltzing with him, and throughout the song, he continues to sing and dance with her in his imagination. When a jumbuck (sheep) appears, the swagman catches it and puts it in his tucker bag (a bag for storing food), but when the squatter (a wealthy landowner) and troopers (mounted police) arrive to confront him about stealing the jumbuck, the swagman jumps into the billabong and drowns himself, becoming a ghost whose voice can still be heard by travelers passing by.
The song is essentially a tragic story about a man who chooses death over being caught and punished for stealing a sheep. However, it has also become a symbol of the Australian national identity and is often used to evoke feelings of nostalgia and pride in Australian culture. The lyrics are deceptively simple, but they convey a range of emotions, from the swagman's carefree singing and dancing to his despair and bewilderment at being caught and facing punishment. The chorus, which repeats the invitation for Matilda to come waltzing with him, adds an element of whimsy and romance to an otherwise dark story.
Line by Line Meaning
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
A happy wanderer settled near a creek
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
He rested in a cool, shady spot
He sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
The swagman sang while he waited for his tea to be ready
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
He invited someone to go walking with him
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong
A sheep came to the creek to get a drink
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
The wanderer quickly caught the sheep joyfully
he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag
Still singing, he put the sheep in his bag
Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred
A wealthy landowner rode up on his fast horse
Up rode the troopers, one, two, three
Three policemen quickly followed on horseback
With the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?
They questioned the swagman about the sheep in his bag
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
He dared the police to go with him
Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong
The wanderer jumped into the creek and died
You'll never catch me alive, said he
He declared he would not be captured alive by the police
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
Now his spirit haunts the creek
Oh, you'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.
He still invites people to join him on his journeys
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CARL FISCHER, LLC
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ALLYSON MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sencrowe680
This was my Grandad's favourite song
And when it was his birthday coming up
I went and learnt this whole song and how to play it on guitar.
So me and my mum drove up to his house and we said happy birthday and asked him to sit on the couch
And I proceed to play this song
He cried with tears of joy and I'll never forget that
Usually it's the granddad trying to make the kids smile and have a good time
But he was very old and I loved hanging out with him and hearing his stories and eating some kangaroo Sausages together
Every year at the 7th of June I play this song again to remember him and wish him a happy birthday even if he isn't around anymore
I miss you GrandDad
I hope you and Max and Nanna are happy wherever you are
Really wish I could've met Nanna
@ahphodg260
I'm half Mexican half Australian m, my dad showed me this song when I was a kid. I remember him by listening to it.
Miss u dad.
@Daniel-cm4xb
YOU’RE GONE BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. RIP SLIM DUSTY TRUE AUSSIE
@drhkleinert3245
Now he is on the waltz for ever...But his Ghost may be heard as you passed by a billabong...
@stainlesssteelruler143
Lets we forget.
@tamika-taradimoulas6272
so sad
@SomeOrdinaryJanitor
@Mark Thompson You're Aren't
@baileygreen2324
He was true blue
@PontifexByzantinus
My great grandfather was a WWI Australian Digger who fought at Gallipoli. Proud of my Aussie heritage!
@N0lukc
Thanks for his service. If it weren't for Australian soldiers in the Far East and parts of the Pacific, we might have lost wwii, thank you to any aussie vet reading this.
@SH-lm6ek
Gallipoli was brutal, my Great Uncle was in the Scottish Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, they fought at Gallipoli along side the Aussies.
Sadly my Great Uncle died from his wounds at the Battle of Ypres, he was conscripted at age 24 and never made it home