Billy Boy- Tatro (VT) 1930 Flanders/Brown; Bronson 29.
[From Vermont Folk-Songs and Ballads, edited by Helen Hartness Flanders and George Brown; copyright 1931 by Arthur
Wallace Peach. Flanders and Brown 1931, pp. 62-63. There are several unusual stanzas in the this version.
R. Matteson 2014]
Billy Boy- Sung by Mrs. George Tatro, Springfield, Vt., November 17, 1930.
1. "O where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
O where have you been, charming Billy?"
"I have been to see my wife, she's the joy of my life; [but]
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
2. "Did she offer you a chair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she offer you a chair, charming Billy?"
"Yes, she offered me a chair with the ringlets in her hair;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
3 "Did she take your hat, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she take your hat, charming Billy?"
"Yes, she took my hat, but what of that?
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
4 "Can she fry a dish of meat, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she fry a dish of meat, charming Billy?"
"She can fly a dish of meat, and do it all complete,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
5 "Can she make a loaf of bread, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a loaf of bread, charming Billy?"
"She can make a loaf of bread, but it's heavy as any lead,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
6 "Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy?"
"She can make a cherry pie quick as a Cat can wink her eye.
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
7 "Can she row a boat to shore, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she row a boat to shore, charming Billy?"
"She can row a boat to shore without a paddle or an oar,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
8 "Did she light you to bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she light you to bed, charming Billy?"
"Yes, she lit me to bed with the candle on her head.
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
9 "Did she kiss you good-night, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she kiss you good-night, charming Billy?"
"Yes, she kissed me good-night and hugged me very tight,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."
10 "How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old is she, charming Billy?"
"Twice six, twice seven, twenty-three, and eleven,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother."