Waltzing Matilda

So I'm off to the airport, for 24 hours of air travel on the way back to Chicago. I will miss this place...and will return as soon as I can... I'll leave you folks with this classic Aussie song... what it means, I couldn't really tell you, i believe the lyrics tell the story of a man camping by a billabong (watering hole), while calling out a lonesome lament at the fact that no one will share his sleeping bag with him. Or something like that, I have yet to hear anyone offer anything resembling a truly concise explanation of this song, but the words aren't the point - the story resonates... And once you get the hook in your mind, you'll never be free of it. The first version above is from an Australia Day celebration, and it's some kind of all-star jam that turns into a big singalong... My fiance calls these kinds of concerts hootenannies, and I must admit I get quite a kick out of the word. It's hard to argue with a big ol' crowd singing a song everyone knows...

If the version above doesn't do it for you, here's Kylie Minogue dropping a lush gorgeous version at the opening ceremonies for Sydney's Para Olympics from 2000...(I thought initially she might be lip syncing, because people do that with high-tech productions like the Olympics, but then I realized that it's just the video track of this youtube clip that's a little off beat. She segues into a disco party after a sweet gorgeous and minimal rendition of Waltzing Matilda... I'll be humming this for weeks to come, and dreaming about my crazy sleepless stretch in Melbourne until I find my way back... Stay righteous, Melbourne... You folks live well...