Nice beaches, colorful flag, great ant . . . well, two out of three ain't bad

I hope no Australian reading this page takes slight that I'm mocking their anthem, but sorry, mates, is this anthem the best Australia could do?   Australia held competitions galore since 1840 to find a new suitable anthem.  Up until 1974, Aussies were still singing the British anthem, which however much you might diss it, does have a catchy tune.  In 1984, after a century of searching and composing, Advance Australia Fair became Australia's new anthem.  You have to wonder if someone paid off someone else to make this happen. Judge for yourself.   If you heard this song on the radio, would you think you were in the presence of greatness?  Advance Australia Fair Australians all let us rejoice For we are young and free We've golden soil and wealth for toil, Our home is girt by sea: Our land abounds in nature's gifts Of beauty rich and rare, In history's page let every stage Advance Australia fair, In joyful strains then let us sing Advance Australia fair. Have a listen.  You may want to put on a pair of earplugs first.  There is nothing specific to Australia in this song. If you substituted 'Britannia' in for 'Australia' the song would make just as much sense and be just as bad. Now listen to the classic Waltzing Matilda, full of Australian-specific words and slang (noted by * and defined at the bottom) and performed by the beloved Australian band The Seekers.   Which song would you have chosen as the anthem?  A song that could've been written about any island on the planet or even islands on other planets, provided they had "golden soil" and "wealth for toil"?  Or a song that pertains to one country and one country only?  Waltzing Matilda Once a jolly swagman* camped by a billabong*, Under the shade of a Coolibah* tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy* boil, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda* with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boil You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. .................... Down came a jumbuck* to drink at that billabong Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee, And 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, And 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 thorough-bred Down came the troopers One Two Three Whose that 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 Whose that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. ...................... Up jumped the swagman sprang in to 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 And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. *  A swagman is a hobo and carries his bedding rolled up into a bundle, which is called a swag. Today, a swag in Australia is a tent-like structure that encompasses a sleeping bag, with the head-end supported by being tied to a tree or similar structure.  A billabong is a watering hole and now it's also the name of a company which manufactures wet suits, surfboards, and similar gear.  A Coolibah tree is a type of eucalypt which grows in the arid and semi-arid woodland zones of Australia.  A billy is a tin can used to boil water.   This swagman is poor, remember.  He can't afford a state-of-the-art tea kettle.  (This song was written before you could get dirt cheap made-in-China kettles).  The term 'Waltzing Matilda' does not refer to a dance.  Matilda is the name of the tramp's swag, which goes dancing (= traveling) with him on his jaunts. A jumbuck is a sheep.  The hobo puts that into his tucker bag.  Tucker is another way of saying food.  A squatter, by Australian slang, isn't a person occupying another's premises without paying a rent.   Here, it's a landowner.