What does it mean if one is "Waltzing Matilda"?

Answer 1

"To waltz Matilda" is to travel with a swag, that is, with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth.

Answer 2

I used to think it meant dancing with a kangaroo (and it probably actually is) but this is what wiki says:

"Waltzing Matilda
from the above terms, "to waltz Matilda" is to travel with a swag, that is, with all one's belongings on one's back wrapped in a blanket or cloth. The exact origins of the term "Matilda" are disputed; one fanciful derivation states that when swagmen met each other at their gatherings, there were rarely women to dance with. Nonetheless, they enjoyed a dance, and so they danced with their swags, which was given a woman's name. However, this appears to be influenced by the word "waltz", hence the introduction of dancing. It seems more likely that, as a swagman's only companion, the swag came to be personified as a woman.
Another explanation is that the term also derives from German immigrants. German soldiers commonly referred to their greatcoats as "Matilda" supposedly because the coat kept them as warm as a woman would. Early German immigrants who "went on the waltz" would wrap their belongings in their coat and took to calling it by the same name their soldiers had used."

The song is about a homeless guy just wandering around with all his stuff on his person...

Answer 3

I dont know, but the way I understand it, it was the generic term for the woman who was paid at dances to dance with soldiers. It was a term used in WWII - maybe its earlier, dont know.

Answer 4

I believe it means carrying a pack on your back while traveling.

Answer 5

waltz is a dance.