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Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did
I got what I paid for now
See you tomorrow; hey, Frank, can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda?
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English and everything's broken
And my Stacy's are soaking wet to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs are barking
And the taxi cabs parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me
You tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmill's, I staggered
You buried the dagger
In your silhouette window light to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St Christopher now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinamen and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the striptease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy
The fugitives say that the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow, go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And you can ask any sailor and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight, Matilda, too
I got what I paid for now
See you tomorrow; hey, Frank, can I borrow
A couple of bucks from you to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda?
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley
And I'm tired of all these soldiers here
No one speaks English and everything's broken
And my Stacy's are soaking wet to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now the dogs are barking
And the taxi cabs parking
A lot they can do for me
I begged you to stab me
You tore my shirt open
And I'm down on my knees tonight
Old Bushmill's, I staggered
You buried the dagger
In your silhouette window light to go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
Now I've lost my St Christopher now that I've kissed her
And the one-armed bandit knows
And the maverick Chinamen and the cold-blooded signs
And the girls down by the striptease shows go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
No, I don't want your sympathy
The fugitives say that the streets aren't for dreaming now
Manslaughter dragnets and the ghosts that sell memories
They want a piece of the action anyhow, go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And you can ask any sailor and the keys from the jailer
And the old men in wheelchairs know
That Matilda's the defendant, she killed about a hundred
And she follows wherever you may go
Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda
You'll go waltzing Matilda with me
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna, the perfume is on
An old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight, Matilda, too
Lyrics submitted by archmastermind
Track duration: 06:39
Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) song meanings
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Here is what I know for those who want real answers. The biographical background while interesting, is not that relevant.
A drunk wants to hit the rails (so to speak) so he borrows money
A waltzing Matilda is a hobo's bag on a stick (she follows wherever you may go)
justifications and booze bottles (soldier's here)
No one speaks English and everything's broken
And my suspenders (STACES, not STACY'S) are soaking wet to go
cabs and dogs, and stabbing as a dual reference, wanting to die and the "stab" when the booze (Old Bushmill's) hits your throat.
Lost my St. Christopher (out of luck) now that I've kissed her
Slot machines (one-armed bandit) drug dealers (maverick Chinamen)
neon signs (cold-blooded signs) and loose women cannot help.
No, I don't want your sympathy
Hobos are not as innocent anymore
Murder hunts and (ghosts that sell memories?)
all want you.
sailors, keys and invalids are not free.
Matilda (street life) kills.
And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal
No prima donna (he means he is a mess here),
the perfume is on an old shirt that is stained with blood and whiskey
And goodnight to the street sweepers
The night watchman flame keepers
And goodnight, Matilda, too
That's about it.
Staces or Braces are suspenders. What does Ghosts who sell memories mean? Antique store or book store people? Or maybe photography studio owners?
Losing his St Christopher doesn't mean that he's finished wandering, only that he goes on traveling but without the protection of the saints. On he goes, remembering Matilda until the last moment of each day - late in the dark when he curls up drunkenly in some dingy hotel, and wishes his lost love good night before drifting off to sleep. Sad and beautiful.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…,
gritinthegears.blogspot.dk/2007/08/…
I guess you have to have been there to get this. Which you obviously have not been.
On some level it seems to simply be about falling for someone, then being out on tour and missing that person. This is backed up by the fact he was away from home when he wrote it.
'I've lost my St Christopher now that I've kissed.' - St Christopher being the patron Saint of travellers, meaning he has literally lost his will to travel now that he has fallen for her. How could it be put more simply than that?
These bars and clubs are no fun anymore. These foreign scenes. There are all these people but he still feels alone despite the alcohol and social scenarios he used to revel in. He admits he's 'tired of these soldiers' - possibly suggesting he's grown tired of the 'soldiers' in the bars who seek the 'violence' of finding someone (more on this violence thing in a sec).
The way this woman 'made him' love her is viewed as a violent act throughout:
I begged you to stab me (take my heart).
You tore my shirt open (and took my heart)
Not only that, he even sets the scene of where she takes his heart:
'You buried the dagger in your silhouette window light' - that's a romantic scene, given a violent edge. She MADE him love her. He was almost fighting against it (soldier?) but willing it to happen.
Furthermore, it's a love that aches more with the travelling aspect of being a touring musician:
'And it's a battered old suitcase to a hotel someplace
And a wound that will never heal' - the wound is the ache in his heart. He has already mentioned the female having torn his shirt open and stabbed him in the chest (heart). If it will never heal, it is an enduring, endless love.
Those seem to be the key lines that relate to someone else. It can definitely be read as an alcohol addiction metaphor, and I think that's a deliberate aspect on the meaning as well. It has more than one meaning. I think the romantic love versus travelling is the key aspect though. I don't think he WANTS to be away from her, or that he has is travelling to get away from her. Those lines don't seem to back up the fact that he's lost his St Christopher. He would've FOUND a St Christopher if he wanted to travel. I think his job has taken him away and the things he used to enjoy and find solace in (going to bars and getting drunk) aren't any fun anymore. They're just full of strangers, foreigners and broken men. It's so full of regret about being away from home, that it couldn't be about WANTING to be away from home.
Matilde (besides being a real woman) is the ROAD for a HOBO. What could be more clear than that he is being "stabbed" by Bushmill's Whiskey???