Billy Boy- Bessie Hunter (Texas) 1939 Lomax
[Lomax recorded three versions of Billy Boy on his 1939 Southern States recording trip.]
BILLY BOY- Bessie Hunter; Recorded at Liberty High School, near Newton, Newton County, Texas
Recording: Listen: Bessie & Freddie Hunter 1939 Collected Alan Lomax
Where have you been, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Where have you been, charming Billy?
I've been to see my wife, she's the story of my life;
She's a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.'
Did she beg you to come in, Billy boy, Billy boy.
Did she beg you to come in, charming Billy?
Yes, she begged me to come in; she has a dimple in her chin.
She's a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
Can she make a cherry pie, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy?
Yes, she can make a cherry pie quick as a cat can wink its eye.
She's a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
Can she wash a white shirt Billy boy, Billy boy,
Can she wash a white shirt charming Billy?
She can wash a white shirt *clean the sleeves of the dirt
She's a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
How old is she Billy boy, Billy boy,
How old is she charming Billy?
Twice six, twice seven, twice twenty and eleven
She's a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
*unclear