Sorry to say I'd forgotten how good these guys were. Great music, great comedy, great everything. They also did something that no one else did. They had Pete Seeger on their show (twice, because CBS refused to air the first performance). Seeger had been black-balled from television and radio for many years because of his political views. For those who don't know him, Seeger wrote, or co-wrote, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The Smothers Brothers had to courage to bring him on, and the courage to stand by their convictions, which eventually saw them cancelled.
In one show, Dick said, "We've come a long way since that first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, when the Pilgrims sat down at the table with the Indians to eat turkey." Tom replied, "Boy, I'll say we've come a long way. Now we're in Paris, sitting down at a table with the Viet Cong, eating crow."
This is great.I remember watching the Smothers Brothers show every week until they canceled it. It is sad Tommy Smothers is gone. Whoever posted this, thanks for the memory.
They did a whole record of straight songs (well almost -- the last one on the record was their typical fare). I think the title of the record was "The Smothers Brothers Play it Straight"
The Smothers Brothers were great folk musicians, all the while lampooning folk music - and slipping sly, incisive comments into their performances as well. Brilliant.
Loved the Smothers Brothers Show... it was criminal the way the networks dropped the show because they dared speak the truth to our political and moral programs behind the Vietnam War... My father who was a Cop back then enjoyed the show as well as we did.
FINALLY! Now I know what a matilda is, and how it (she?) waltzes. When I was a Canadian school kid (back when the earth was still cooling), our teacher taught us that song. She explained what koolabah trees, jump-bucks, billabongs, etc. were. But now, at last, the final piece of the puzzle falls into place. Thank you, Smothers Brothers! My education is complete.
Every week I had 2 tv watching musts, the Smothers Bros and Diana Rigg as Mrs Emma Peel on the Avengers. Progressive accomplishments were numerous, right up to and including the environmental laws of Richard Nixon. 50 years of the Endangered Species Act and the greatness of Tommy and Dick Smothers.
Somebody would've had to have explained it to them because Banjo Patterson's original poem was written entirely in Australian Slang. Dick's explanation is an accurate translation. It is about a drifter who comes upon a sheep drinking from a pond. He steals the sheep (highly illegal here in Australia) only to be spotted by cops who were watching him from upon the hill. Rather than being hung for it, the drifter sprang up and committed suicide in the pond.
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 boiled "You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me" Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong Up jumped the swagging and grabbed him with glee And he sang as he stowed 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 stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag "You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me" Down came the squatter mounted on his thorough-bred Up 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 cut the swagging and jumped into the billabong "You'll never catch me alive" said he And his ghost may be heard if you pass by that billabong "Who'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 if 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 if you pass by that billabong "You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me"
Yes, this is the popularly sung version. However, the actual version as written by Banjo Paterson in 1895 and published in 1903 is different: Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabongs, Under the shade of a Coolibah tree; And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me." Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Up came the jumbuck to drink at the waterhole, Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee; And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag, "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me." Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Up came the squatter a-riding his thoroughbred; Up came the policeman - one, two, and three. "Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker-bag? You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with we." Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Up sprang the swagman and jumped into the waterhole, Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree; And his voice can be heard as it sings in the billabongs, "Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me." Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag. Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Such a joy to see these bits. Thank you so much for posting. These bring back a lot of good memories sitting around the TV with the family and having a good laugh back in the day!
Fabulous harmony on this tune. Some of the best ever. I am not so sure they have the actual meaning of the song correct, though. That may be what's offered to the public, but I heard a different story. Not saying mine's right in any emphatic way, though, as I might be misinformed. A fine job they did in any case.
Wikipedia has a lengthy article on the song which includes alternative theories and myths as to its meaning. The references used for the article are as extensive. Perhaps you'll find what you heard of its meaning there.
Ahead of their time..... intelligent, and at times edgy, left field comedy which mainstream US networks struggled to grasp. In a similar zone of Monty Python, Spike Milligan, Morecombe and Wise and other great Brit Comedy
My poor mom couldn't stand these guys. They were too damn liberal for her tastes. Me, I loved these guys. They were funny as hell and as goofy as the law would allow, sometimes pushing the limit to the edge.
@@frankhooper7871In order to THINK something you should really READ ABOUT IT! That's the trouble with many in our country. People think without facts!
Ode to Billie Joe MacAllister.... as Nat Athem #3 (right after that other new one?) "There was a virus goin' 'round, Papa caught it and he died last spring"... pass around them black eyed peas, pass the biscuit please, ....I'll have another slice of Apple Pie.
It's amazing how mild their political commentary was, yet they were pilloried and quashed for it. There was still the McCarthyism hangover from the 1950s, where you could not offer even the mildest criticism of the government. And the were equally critical of both the Johnson and Nixon administrations.
"Waltzing Matilda" was based around contemporaneously well-known incidents that occurred during the great shearer's strike of the 1890s in Queensland. The song is distinctly about the working man and his struggles and fate. Of course the USA could never have a national anthem that didn't involve blood curdling patriotism, and American films involve a glorification of the super hero, but in Australia we have traditionally been much more down to earth and subtle. We can have a song that ends in a tragedy, there is nothing unusual about that. It is a great pity that Whitlam didn't allow "God Save the Queen' to be replaced by "Waltzing Matilda", rather we ended up with the insipid song we have now.
Right, it sounds like you're begging for money for the bus. 😆 Actually, the US has some songs in a similar position to Waltzing Matilda that are based on folk poetry. A good example that everyone learned in school is Woody Guthrie's 'This Land is Your Land.' No blood curdling stuff there. ruclips.net/video/wxiMrvDbq3s/видео.html
Musically “God Save the Queen” is not insipid. Beethoven considered it a great musical treasure, and I’m not about to argue with Ludwig. The lyrics, on the other hand, have their moments, but overall can’t stand up to “Waltzing Matilda.”
Watch more of your favorite Smothers Brothers songs here: ruclips.net/p/PLoOm9T36CWwbtHh2N8TzUnNv7kgDfuc2D&si=jpQspn4Pv4QWe8nt
Sorry to say I'd forgotten how good these guys were. Great music, great comedy, great everything. They also did something that no one else did. They had Pete Seeger on their show (twice, because CBS refused to air the first performance). Seeger had been black-balled from television and radio for many years because of his political views. For those who don't know him, Seeger wrote, or co-wrote, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" The Smothers Brothers had to courage to bring him on, and the courage to stand by their convictions, which eventually saw them cancelled.
In one show, Dick said, "We've come a long way since that first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, when the Pilgrims sat down at the table with the Indians to eat turkey." Tom replied, "Boy, I'll say we've come a long way. Now we're in Paris, sitting down at a table with the Viet Cong, eating crow."
😂😂😂
As an Aussie, I have to say this is the best interpretation of the song ever! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂😂
Sung by a chorus, harmonizing, the most beautiful song ever written, ever sung.
Greetings from America 🇺🇸
AUSIE ! AUSIE ! ! AUSIE ! ! !
OY ! OY ! ! OY ! ! !
I so loved how The Smothers Brothers were somehow able to be corny and cutting edge at the same time.
I think they were able to be cutting edge BECAUSE they were 'corny". Some digs are so subtle they slid by the censors.
Because going full-on corny allows them to make meta-commentary that is cutting edge
On a Smothers binge. Laughing and crying.
Me, too!
@@trichellemarshall724 Me three!!
Me four!
Has anyone commented on the fact that after interrupting their song, they could always come back to the right key? That is pretty remarkable!
These guys are so funny that it’s easy to miss how good they are musically. Tommy is a killer guitarist.
You're right. Those were not "cowboy" chords he was playing very intuitively.
That's what made them unique, the mix of comedy and folk music.
Yup. Tommy was the classic one-guitar attack, like Led Zeppelin, Rush, Black Sabbath, etc...
Duck billed platitudes 😂😂😂😂😂😂
That was the best gag! Gotta remember that one!
They were so good at making their routines seem ad libbed, just terrific musicians and comedians.
Sad to hear of the passing of Tom Smothers. What I liked was their funny dialog in the middle of a song: very unique.
RIP Tom Smothers! Thank you for the laughs, music, and the commentary. Slainte!
About time someone cleared up the mystery of what got thrown off the Tallahatchee bridge.
If we knew that, the song wouldn't have any mystery and would lose it's clout.
It was an engagement ring, an Appalachian ritual when you decide not to marry after all.
@@FlipDahlenburg Shouldn't have had anyone thinking 'body' if it was just a ring.
Some humor really stands the test of time! Can’t think of a better example that this. 😂
Wow thanks Tommy! Amazing, comedy without all the foul language, what a novelty
YES!!!
Their humor never ever got old.
Rest In Peace Tommy 😢
Because of you, I bought a Yo Yo back in the day.
This is great.I remember watching the Smothers Brothers show every week until they canceled it. It is sad Tommy Smothers is gone. Whoever posted this, thanks for the memory.
I've spent more than 60 years wishing they would just sing a song all the way through, but this was awesome.
They did, every so often. My mom was with you; wanted more of the "old" Smothers Brothers.
Me too! Lol.
They did a whole record of straight songs (well almost -- the last one on the record was their typical fare). I think the title of the record was "The Smothers Brothers Play it Straight"
Mary was pretty...
it is on one of their albums
also "I never will marry"
I have that album ❤@@rgjerde53
The Smothers Brothers were great folk musicians, all the while lampooning folk music - and slipping sly, incisive comments into their performances as well. Brilliant.
“Boy, they’re everywhere!” 😂
These guys are timeless! So funny, inventive and TALENTED! Brings back great memories of by budding childhood.
watching all these old clips with a bit of sad nostalgia, they are an american legend, rip tommy, condolences to the families.
They still have me laughing 😂
We always loved them. We always told my brother he looked like Tom Smothers.
RIP Tommy.
Loved the Smothers Brothers Show... it was criminal the way the networks dropped the show because they dared speak the truth to our political and moral programs behind the Vietnam War... My father who was a Cop back then enjoyed the show as well as we did.
😂😂😂 these guys are hilarious, especially the facial expressions of Tom Smothers
Well, I'm certainly glad that all got explained.
FINALLY! Now I know what a matilda is, and how it (she?) waltzes. When I was a Canadian school kid (back when the earth was still cooling), our teacher taught us that song. She explained what koolabah trees, jump-bucks, billabongs, etc. were. But now, at last, the final piece of the puzzle falls into place. Thank you, Smothers Brothers! My education is complete.
loved this show along with ----laugh-in-----great time----wish we were back in this time zone
Mee too. 😢
R.I.P. Talented Tom 🙁
Every week I had 2 tv watching musts, the Smothers Bros and Diana Rigg as Mrs Emma Peel on the Avengers. Progressive accomplishments were numerous, right up to and including the environmental laws of Richard Nixon. 50 years of the Endangered Species Act and the greatness of Tommy and Dick Smothers.
RIP Dick. I always used to watch the Smother's Bros. shows whenever I could. This is a great clip. 😀
Thanks for tuning in again!
Required viewing in my house in 1968.
Loved these guys. RIP Tommy.
So glad they explained that song.
A few of those words needed defining.:-)
Somebody would've had to have explained it to them because Banjo Patterson's original poem was written entirely in Australian Slang.
Dick's explanation is an accurate translation.
It is about a drifter who comes upon a sheep drinking from a pond. He steals the sheep (highly illegal here in Australia) only to be spotted by cops who were watching him from upon the hill. Rather than being hung for it, the drifter sprang up and committed suicide in the pond.
Comedy and talent all in one whack.
Those were the days. Fun!
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 boiled
"You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me"
Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagging and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stowed 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 stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag
"You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me"
Down came the squatter mounted on his thorough-bred
Up 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 cut the swagging and jumped into the billabong
"You'll never catch me alive" said he
And his ghost may be heard if you pass by that billabong
"Who'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 if 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 if you pass by that billabong
"You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me"
You have to be an Aussie to understand .
We learned to sing this in grade school, around 1960. Wonder if group-singing is still done.
@@tereseshaw7650 Yes, we did too.
Yes, this is the popularly sung version. However, the actual version as written by Banjo Paterson in 1895 and published in 1903 is different:
Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabongs,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree;
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Up came the jumbuck to drink at the waterhole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee;
And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Up came the squatter a-riding his thoroughbred;
Up came the policeman - one, two, and three.
"Whose is the jumbuck you've got in the tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with we."
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Up sprang the swagman and jumped into the waterhole,
Drowning himself by the Coolibah tree;
And his voice can be heard as it sings in the billabongs,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
@@stevenvarner9806 Very cool - thanks!
Well CRAP! I ust learned something new today, thanks to these... awesome folk singing Duo, I always thought the "jumbuck" was a flippin Kangaroo!
Always love watching theses guys! Their timing is so good!
Another incredible performance! What Showmen!
Wow. What a throwback. I remember watching that as a kid.
They were pretty good,..nice folky sound. Greetings from down under.
Such a joy to see these bits. Thank you so much for posting. These bring back a lot of good memories sitting around the TV with the family and having a good laugh back in the day!
These guys are the best!
Fabulous harmony on this tune. Some of the best ever. I am not so sure they have the actual meaning of the song correct, though. That may be what's offered to the public, but I heard a different story. Not saying mine's right in any emphatic way, though, as I might be misinformed. A fine job they did in any case.
Wikipedia has a lengthy article on the song which includes alternative theories and myths as to its meaning. The references used for the article are as extensive. Perhaps you'll find what you heard of its meaning there.
That’s essentially how Rolff Harris told it.
Loved the memory! 💖
Ahead of their time..... intelligent, and at times edgy, left field comedy which mainstream US networks struggled to grasp. In a similar zone of Monty Python, Spike Milligan, Morecombe and Wise and other great Brit Comedy
Outstanding! grew up watching their shows.
Loved them. Clean humor.
Bye Tommy...
R.I.P Tom Smothers
My Dad was the Art Director on their show!
Wow! They had a pretty snazzy set!
That's so funny! He knew what they threw off the Tallahatchie bridge. I wish I knew. 😂
A ring.
@@richstex4736 That is one of the theories. 😊
They are missed.
Top notch comedy and music. The later version called, And the band played waltzing Matilda is sad and beautiful at the same time.
Wow. Great find tonight.
Thanks 👍
The WW1 version of this song is a very touching, sad, anti-war song.
My poor mom couldn't stand these guys. They were too damn liberal for her tastes. Me, I loved these guys. They were funny as hell and as goofy as the law would allow, sometimes pushing the limit to the edge.
Weird - I never thought of the Smother Brothers being "liberal"
Read the book, "Dangerously Funny, The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" by David Bianculi. You'll have much to learn.
Really? You never heard about the controversies over Vietnam and so forth on the show?@@frankhooper7871
@@frankhooper7871In order to THINK something you should really READ ABOUT IT! That's the trouble with many in our country. People think without facts!
Tommy's stance on the Vietnam War alone was a liberal viewpoint. And remember, kiddies; liberal is NOT a bad word!
Yes Maltzing Matilda has shocking lyrics.
They were great. Was sorry they weren't on t v longer. They were another one to suffer due speaking up against a president and war.
Koalas are not bears! They are KOALAS! The coat is like a rough carpet, not smooth. Picked up a few of them to keep them safe. D.
But they do look a lot like bears.
August 2004 saw the brothers with Joan Rivers at Westbury Music Fair. The brothers were great.
Fifty years later and what do we have? Taylor Swift prancing around mostly naked singing a tuneless tune about how she got dumped.
😂❤❤❤❤❤
It was a terrible time in the USA. 100 week KIA and 300-500 wounded. 6 of my high school friends were killed from 1968-71. Uncertainty ruled.
I loved watching this show back in the day. We’ve come full circle in the U.S. Liberals used to get cancelled, now conservatives do. 🤷🏼♂️
Waltzing Matilda has been known to bring tears to my eyes. This version didn't...
I love how Tommy slips in the gay joke and no one gets all woke about it.
I never noticed before in all these years that Tommy had one blue eye and one brown eye. RIP Tommy Smothers. 😢
My dad did. I had blues, my twin brother had brown.
Actually one blue and one green.
Ode to Billie Joe MacAllister.... as Nat Athem #3 (right after that other new one?) "There was a virus goin' 'round, Papa caught it and he died last spring"... pass around them black eyed peas, pass the biscuit please, ....I'll have another slice of Apple Pie.
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
A knapsack is a ksleeping bag.
It's amazing how mild their political commentary was, yet they were pilloried and quashed for it. There was still the McCarthyism hangover from the 1950s, where you could not offer even the mildest criticism of the government. And the were equally critical of both the Johnson and Nixon administrations.
Well I for sure wouldn't want to be hanged by the billabong.
The ̶s̶t̶r̶i̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶a̶r̶e̶r̶ er... Swagman, ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶S̶a̶m̶u̶e̶l̶ ̶H̶o̶f̶f̶m̶e̶i̶s̶t̶e̶r̶ er... who is forever nameless, ̶s̶h̶o̶t̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶s̶e̶l̶f̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶l̶l̶a̶b̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶f̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶u̶r̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶d̶o̶w̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶q̶u̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶'̶s̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶e̶p̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶b̶a̶r̶n̶ er... drowned himself after being caught stealing a sheep.
"Waltzing Matilda" was based around contemporaneously well-known incidents that occurred during the great shearer's strike of the 1890s in Queensland. The song is distinctly about the working man and his struggles and fate. Of course the USA could never have a national anthem that didn't involve blood curdling patriotism, and American films involve a glorification of the super hero, but in Australia we have traditionally been much more down to earth and subtle. We can have a song that ends in a tragedy, there is nothing unusual about that. It is a great pity that Whitlam didn't allow "God Save the Queen' to be replaced by "Waltzing Matilda", rather we ended up with the insipid song we have now.
Right, it sounds like you're begging for money for the bus. 😆 Actually, the US has some songs in a similar position to Waltzing Matilda that are based on folk poetry. A good example that everyone learned in school is Woody Guthrie's 'This Land is Your Land.' No blood curdling stuff there.
ruclips.net/video/wxiMrvDbq3s/видео.html
Tell that to the aboriginal people who remain. I'm not defending the US, just pointing out there's no good guys.
It was “God Bless Australia”. The tune was Waltzing Matilda. It had got my vote.
Musically “God Save the Queen” is not insipid. Beethoven considered it a great musical treasure, and I’m not about to argue with Ludwig. The lyrics, on the other hand, have their moments, but overall can’t stand up to “Waltzing Matilda.”
Australia's official national anthem is Friday On My Mind by The Easybeats. Sing it together Aussies " Gonna have fun IN THE CITY...!!"
Yes, they were liberal, but they sure were funny.
If CBS had just let them continue the world might be a sane safe to enjoy.. instead we got Trump..thanks CBS
Waltzing Matilda was not a girl?
He just ruined the whole song for me
RIP Tommy.
RIP Tommy.