Australian literature Gordon's and Brennan's (but particularly Brennan's) works conformed to traditional styles of poetry, with many classical allusions, and therefore fell within the domain of high culture. However, at the same time Australia was blessed with a competing, vibrant tradition of folk songs and ballads. Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson were two of the chief exponents of these popular ballads, and 'Banjo' himself was responsible for creating what is probably the most famous Australian verse, "Waltzing Matilda". At one point, Lawson and Paterson contributed a series of verses to "The Bulletin" magazine in which they engaged in a literary debate about
Matilda (song) the song in 1962 as "Twistin Matilda, (And the Channel)", which changed the lyrics of the verses as well as the chorus to: "She took the money and ran off to Las Vegas." The song hit number 22 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 Charts. Allan Sherman recorded a variation of the song in his first album, 1962's "My Son, the Folk Singer", and put a Jewish-sounding spin on it, including asking portions of his audience (such as "Members of Hadassah") to sing along: Sherman got sued from the estates of the writer of the song, for not asking permission beforehand,