Daisy Chapman - Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda) by Tom Waits

In May 2016 we named our new baby girl Matilda, something we’d both agreed on but not given much thought to. When she was 3 days old I was suddenly reminded of this song and recalled how it was one of my Dad's favourites (albeit, the Rod Stewart version!). This had had no influence on our choice of name as the memory only came to me as we made the short pilgramage home from the hospital with our precious cargo strapped in the back. As the weeks of new motherhood progressed, I finally found time to sit at the piano and it was one of the first songs I played to my sweet daughter. When Matilda was 7 weeks old I played the song with Sue at a small private garden gig attended by just a few friends and my parents. I could see my husband waltzing Matilda around the kitchen trying to get her to sleep, and choked back a lump in my throat whilst performing as I was overwhelmed with my new found love. Afterwards, my Dad, brimming with tears, congratulated and thanked me for the version. I could feel his love for his new grand daughter, and warmth and appreciation towards my choice of song. I hadn’t told him I was doing it. Four months later, as the season shifted, the day the USA declared Donald Trump the winner of the election, our lives changed. My Mum called to say an Xray had shown something untoward on Dad’s lung and the doctor confirmed it was serious. For the following weeks, my father worked tirelessly to get his affairs in order, moving money, filing, digging out passwords and picking music and speakers for his farewell. It felt so premature, but he needed to be busy and we didn’t stand in his way. Perhaps he knew something we didn’t, because just 10 weeks later, on the day Trump stepped foot in the White House, he died peacefully in hospital. His wish was for this song to be played at his funeral, and thankfully I had recorded it with Sue just a few weeks prior. This video was shot a month after Dad's diagnosis and 6 weeks before he died. I am not sure if I’ll be able to play it live again, so I’m glad we caught this wonderful moment in one of my favourite venues. For Dad, and for Matilda. x

Cover of Tom Waits' 'Tom Traubert's Blues' as performed at Sendesaal Bremen in 2016. This song appears on Daisy's 2017 album 'Good Luck Songs'.

Recorded by Arthur Mokry
Mixed by Heiko Grein
Vocals, Piano by Daisy Chapman
Violin by Sue Lord
Cello by Johanna Brodbeck