Billy Boy- Bleakney (Ottawa) 1918
[From Folk-Lore from Ottawa and Vicinity by F. Eileen Bleakney; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 31, No. 120 (Apr. - Jun., 1918), pp. 158-169
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
5. Billy Boy.[1]
The following stanza is the only one remembered of several in the original version. The other stanzas referred to sweeping, washing, and other household duties, each one of which was imitated by the child singing the song.
"Can you make a cherry-pie,
Billy boy, Billy boy?
Can you make a cherry-pie,
Charming Billy?"
"I can make a cherry-pie
Quick as a cat can wink its eye,
I can make a cherry-pie,
Charming Billy."
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Footnote: 1. Compare p. 78.