CentralNotice From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search For other uses, see Waltzing Matilda (disambiguation) . "Waltzing Matilda" The original manuscript of "Waltzing Matilda", transcribed by Christina Macpherson ca. 1895 Song Written 1895 Published 1903 Genre Bush ballad Composer(s) Christina Macpherson (1895) Lyricist(s) Banjo Paterson " Waltzing Matilda " is Australia 's best-known bush ballad , and has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". [1] The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing) with one's belongings in a "matilda" ( swag ) slung over one's back. [2] The song narrates the story of an itinerant worker, or " swagman ", making a drink of billy tea at a bush camp and capturing a stray jumbuck (sheep) to eat. When the jumbuck's owner, a squatter (landowner), and three mounted polic...