US & Canadian Versions: Child 12A. Billie Boy; Billy Boy
[The 94 versions in this collection are made up of some print versions, two parodies and traditional versions. The degree print and recordings have had on the traditional versions is unknown. Most of the print versions are reprints of Oliver Ditson's 1847 version. It's important to realize that many versions were collected but not printed, largely because of the popularity of the ballad and the similar melodies and texts collected. Some missing versions are listed below at the bottom of this page- most of the major collections are represented here. Larger collections include Randolph (7), Henry (5), Scarborough (4) and Creighton (4). The Brown Collection has 27 versions but printed just 3.
The earliest extant version of Billy Boy published in the US is "Billy Boy, A Curious Legend" by White (Oliver Ditson, Boston), 1847. Billy Boy's British originator, Hector Macneill's "My Boy Tammy," popular in England in the late 1700s, was reprinted in the US in the early 1800s. The earliest extant printing of Macneil's "My Boy Tammie" (according to Cox, 1925) in the US (Baltimore) is found in The Minstrel; A Collection of Celebrated Songs, Set to Music" dated 1812.
Francis J. Child himself published a parody (from Henry Leland) titled "Bully Boy Billy" in 1863. Also in 1863 the popular Beadle Dime Song Book included "Billie Boy," an edited version of the 1847 Olover Ditson version. Another early publication is a 1869 version published in New York that appears in a Mother Goose edition titled, "Where Have You Been All Day?" which is taken from an English nursery rhyme text- published earlier by Halliwell.
The Brown Collection of NC Folklore reported has 47 versions of the popular "Billy Boy" and they chose to include but three texts. Randolph includes texts A-G, and gives partial texts with different verses. Several of the versions have music marked with an asterisk.
Unlike Lord Randal, Billy Boy became more popular from recordings which began with the Victor recording, Vi 19945, by Frank Crumit at Camden, NJ on December 1925, which was released in March, 1926. It features a Riley Puckett style guitar accompaniment. The song was also recorded by country artists like The Jenkins Family out of Atlanta by Okeh and Bradley Kincaid for Gennet in 1928 (unissued). Kincaid was a radio star on WLS and popularized Billy Boy on the radio. Billy Boy has now been recorded by a wide variety of artists in different genres including Miles Davis (jazz) and the Andrews Sisters (pop).
Because of it's immense popularity through recordings, radio, as a play-party song and various print sources, Billy Boy was not highly sought by collectors. Bronson only has about 15 US and Canada versions listed in Traditional Tunes. There are too many available versions and many of them have similar texts and melodies. Collectors simply weren't pursuing versions while many collectors did not include a single version (Barry BBM; Davis TBVa and others) in their publications.
It's listed as a play party song and is used as a dialogue between a boy and girl (Wolford- 1916 Indiana). Botkin (1937) gives these directions: "The children form a circle with a chosen child in the center. The fun of the game was for the chorus to give Billy a 'hot one' in the way of a question, and Billy in return was supposed to ably give back an answer funny and thrilling, to the merriment of our gang."
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
CONTENTS: To open individual versions click on the title (below) or click on the title attached to this page on the left hand column.
1) Billy Boy, A Curious Legend- (MA) 1847 White-- From Levy Collection, words and music -- anon. Billy Boy, A Curious Legend arranged for the Piano Forte by Edward L. White. Published by Oliver Ditson, 115 Washington St. Boston, Plate Number: 1295; [Source: 049/009@Levy].
2) Billy Boy- Doyle (Baltimore, MD) 1860s--This broadside was issued by Thomas G. Doyle, Baltimore, Md., no date given. Doyle began printing single sheets of texts of parlor songs and folk songs c. 1850 and continued printing throughout the 1860s. It's a reprint of the Oliver Ditson 1847 version at about the same time (1863) as the Beadle Dime Song Book reprint (with minor changes).
3) Bully Boy Billy- (MA) 1862 (Parody) F. Child--A parody published in War-Songs For Freemen; Dedicated to the Army of the United States, written by F. J. Child and entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, (the Clerks Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts) University Press: Welch, Bigelow, and Company. Cambridge, Massachusetts 1863.
4) Billie Boy- (NY) 1863 Beadle's Dime Song Book--From Beadle's Dime Song Book, No. 10, 1863. This is a reprinting of Oliver Ditson's 1847 text, with Billy changed to Billie.
5) Where Have You Been All Day? Mother Goose 1869--from Mother Goose's Melodies for Children, or Songs for the Nursery: Illustrations by Stevens and Fay; New York Published by Hurd And Houghton Cambridge: Riverside Press; 1869. The notes refer to Halliwell and it is nearly identical to a version published by him.
6) Billy Boy- (LA) 1871 Alison & Gardner--Curiously this version is given by the editors of The Ballad Minstrelsy of Scotland, Robert Alison and Alexander Gardner without date or source as from the "plains of Louisiana." I assume this is a poetic reference to Louisiana and not a literal one-- still I'm listing it as the source state.
7) Billy Boy- Devlin (NY) 1879 Newman
Billy Boy - (NE) 2 versions 1897 Clifton Johnson
Billy Boy- (NC) 1911 DAR Booklet; J. Lomax
Billy Boy- Shellenbarger (NE) 1911 Pound
Billy Boy- Barnett (MO) 1913 Belden A
Billy Boy- Marie (MO) 1914 Belden B
Charming Billy- Henderson (NC) 1914 Brown A
Billy Boy- Gainer (WV) c1915 Gainer book
My Boy Billy- Jane Gentry (NC) 1916 Sharp A
My Boy Billy- Sarah Buckner (NC) 1916 Sharp B
Billie Boy- (KY) 1916 Wyman and Brockway
Billy Boy- Jackson (IN) 1916 Wolford
Billie Boy- Hull (WV) 1916 Cox A
My Boy Billy- Crane (TN) 1916 Sharp MS
Billy Boy- McAtee (WV) 1916 Richardson--Cox B
Billy Boy- Taylor (MA) 1917 book Elvira Taylor
My Boy Billy- Grey (VA) 1918 Sharp C
Oh, Where Are You Going, Billy? (ON) 1918 Waugh
Billy Boy- Bleakney (ON) 1918 JAF
Billy Boy- (PA) 1919 Shoemaker- Print version
Billy Boy- Hardie (MI) pre1920 JAF Gardner A
Billy Boy- Barnes (MI) pre1920 JAF Gardner B
Billy Boy- Crumit (OH-NY) 1925 Victor REC
Charming Willie- Otto (WV) pre1925 Cox C
Billie Boy- Broyles (WV) pre1925 Cox D
Billy Boy- Kennon (MS) pre1926 Hudson A
Billy Boy- Bickerstaff (MS) pre1926 Hudson B
Billy Boy- Burdette (MS) pre1926 Hudson C
Billy Boy- Campbell (MS) pre1926 Hudson D
Billy Boy- Kincaid (KY) 1928 Booklet & WLS
Billy Boy- (MO) 1930 Randolph (7 Versions A-G)
Billy Boy- Tatro (VT) 1930 Flanders/Brown
Billy Boy- Moses (KY) pre1931 Fuson
Billy Boy- Franklin (NC) 1931 Henry A
Billy Boy- Stokes (GA) 1931 Henry B
Billy Boy- Bohanan (TN) 1931 Henry C
Billie Boy- Blaylock (GA) 1932 Henry E
Billy Boy- Bagwell (TN) c1933 Henry D
Billie Boy- Dusenberry (AR) c1933
Billy Boy- (US) 1934 Lomax (Compilation)
Charmant Billie- Commeaux (LA) 1934 Lomax REC
Billy Boy- (NC-VA) 1935 Scarborough (4 Versions)
Billy Boy- Early (OK) 1937 Botkin; Play-Party
Billy Boy- Adamson (IL) 1938 Neely A
Billy Boy- Neely (IL) 1938 Neely B
Billy Boy- Louise Massey (TX) 1939 REC
Billy Boy- Bessie Hunter (TX) 1939 Lomax REC
Billy Boy- Hubbard (MA) 1939 Linscott
Billy Boy- Day (CA) pre1939 Cowell LOC REC
Billy Boy- Stanton Sisters & Georgia Wildcats-1940
Billy Boy- Karickhoff (WV) 1940 Boette
Billy Boy- (NY) 1941 Almanac Singers- Parody
Billy Boy- Townsend (NC) 1942 Abrams Var. 1
Billy Boy- (NC) c.1942 Abrams Collection Var. 2
Billy Boy- (NC) c.1942 Greer Collection Var. 1
Billy Boy- (NC) c.1942 Greer Collection Var. 2
Billy Boy- Holton (NC) pre1943 Brown B
Billy Boy- Allen (NC) pre1943 Brown C
Billy Boy- Hubbard (UT) 1946 Hubbard A
Billy Boy- Jenson (UT) 1947 Hudson B
Charming Billy- Teudt (UT) 1947 Hubbard C
Billie Boy- LaFar (GA) pre1947 Matteson
Billy Boy- Greenough (NS) 1950 Creighton A
Billy Boy- (ON) 1950 Creighton B, C, D (3 versions
Billy Boy- McClellan (FL) pre1950 Morris
Billy Boy- Owens (KY) 1950 Owens
Billy Boy- Burl Ives (IL-NY) Songbook 1953
Billy Boy- Stuart/Perkins (KY) 1958 Thomas AFSF
Billy Boy- Jernigan (AR) 1959 Wolf Collection
My Boy Willie- Ritchie(KY) 1959 REC w/ Brand, Sear
Charming Billy- Barnes (AR) 1961 Wolf Collection
Billy Boy- Gilbert (AR) 1969 Max Hunter Collection
Billy Boy- Thomas (AR) 1969 Max Hunter REC
Billy Boy- Hunter (MO) 1969 Max Hunter
Billy Boy- Nelson (KY) pre1978 Roberts
---------------
Notes from Folk-Songs of the South- John Harrington Cox 1925
168 BILLY BOY
For American texts see Clifton Johnson, What They Say in New England (Boston, 1897), p. 230; Shoemaker, pp. 102, 131 (Pennsylvania); Wolford, The Play-Party in Indiana, p. 24; Campbell and Sharp, No. 89 (North Carolina); Pound, No. 113 (Nebraska; cf. Journal, xxvi, 356); Waugh, Journal, xxxi, 78 (Ontario); De Marsan broadside, List 18, No. 4; Beadle's Dime Song Book No. 10 (cop. 1863), p. 62. Cf. Shearin and Combs, p. 30 (Kentucky); F. C. Brown, p. 10 (North Carolina); Jones, p. 3 (Michigan); Wyman MS., No. 25 (Kentucky) ; Minish MS. (North Carolina) ; Belden's Missouri collection.
A parody written in the days of the Civil War ("Bully Boy, Billy") may be read in Child's War-Songs for Freemen (Boston, cop. 1862), p. 41. For British references see Kittredge, Journal, xxvi, 357, note 1. Sharp (One Hundred English Folksongs, p. xxxiv) suggests that "Billy Boy" is "a comic derivative, or burlesque," of "Lord Randal" (Child, No. 12).
Hector Macneht's "My Boy Tammie" or "Tammy's Courting," modeled on the English song (see The Vocal Magazine, Edinburgh, 1797, Song cv), is found in American songbooks: as, The Minstrel (Baltimore, 181 2), p. 106; The Singer's Magazine and Universal Vocalist (Philadelphia, 1835), I, 176; The Bijou Minstrel (Philadelphia, 1840), p. 117; The Bonnie Dundee Songster (cop. 1868), p. 68; Delaney's Scotch Song-Book No. 1, p. 16.
In addition to the texts given below, this song was reported by others as follows: Miss Sallie Evans, Elkins, Randolph County; Mr. N. D. Barber, Charleston, Kanawha County; Miss Emma Boughner, Morgan town, Monongalia County; and a second text by Mrs. Hilary G. Richardson, Clarksburg, Harrison County.
-------------
The American Play-Party Song
Billy Boy
For play-party use as a dramatic dialogue game, see Gardner (Michigan), JALF 33 (two texts); Wolford (Indiana), PP. 24-25.
Billy Boy- John V. Early; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1937,
I Have you found you a wife, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Have you found you a wife, bonny Billy?
I've found me a wife, she's the joy of my life,
Yet she's a young thing and cannot earn a living.
(Or: She's young thing and could not leave her mother.)
2 Did she put you to bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she Put You to bed, bonny Billy?
She put me to bed with a bump on my head,
She's a young thing and cannot earn a living.
3 Did she bake you a pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she bake You a pie, bonny Billy?
Yes, she gave me a pie with a hit in the eye,
She's a young thing and cannot earn a living.
Directions. "The children form a circle with a chosen child in the center. The fun of the game was for the chorus to give Billy a 'hot one' in the way of a question, and Billy in return was supposed to ably give back an answer funny and thrilling, to the merriment of our gang."
Variants by Hattie Bell Bethea, Marion, S. C.; Jane Bowman, Pauls Valley, Garvin County; Mary Virginia Maloy, Norman, Cleveland County
---------------
Macneil's My Boy Tammie" printed in 1812 in Baltimore:
Of thi early printing, there are several Baltimore publishers listed, including F. Lucas, Junior and John Cole. A typical attribution runs: In 1812 John Cole, of Baltimore, Maryland, published "The Minstrel," a collection of celebrated songs, set to music. This was a I2mo of 307 pages, and contained a great variety of English, Scotch, and Irish popular airs. Another says: "Baltimore: Published by F. Lucas, Jun., 138, Market-St. G. Dobbin & Murphy." Here's some info about the printers Dobbin and Murphy:
Dobbin & Murphy appear very often among the early publishers of Catholic works in Baltimore. Judge Dobbin, a son of the printer, has kindly furnished the following:
"Baltimore, Dec. 30, 1871.
"' Dear Sir: I greatly regret that I can give you so meagre an account of the publishing firm of 'G. Dobbin & Murphy,' which existed in Baltimore from about the year 1804 or 1805 (it maybe a year earlier) till 1811 or 1812. The members of the firm were George Dobbin, born in County Armagh, Ireland, and Thomas Murphy, born in the City of Cork, Ireland. Mr. Dobbin fled from Ireland in the troubles of 1798, in the exciting transactions of which he took an active part as a United Irishman.
"Mr. Murphy came to this country in his boyhood. Both gentlemen were Presbyterians, . . . in which communion Mr. Dobbin died. In the latter part of his life, Mr. Murphy belonged to the Protestant Episcopal Church. . . .
"I am, very truly, yours,
"George W. Dobbin."
------------------
Missing versions:
---------------
BILLY BOY
Source Gardner & Chickering, Ballads & Songs of Southern Michigan (1939) p.477
Performer Muchler, Mrs. Charles / Ben Bower / Mrs. Elmer Jencks
Place collected USA : Michigan : Kalkaska / Belding / Kalkaska
Collector Gardner, E.E. / G.J. Chickering
BILLY BOY
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 21)
Performer Fraser, Mrs. Arlington
Place collected Canada : Ontario : Lancaster
Collector Fowke, Edith
BILLY BOY
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 65)
Performer Bigrow, Mrs. Eva
Place collected Canada : Quebec : Calumet
Collector Fowke, Edith
MY BOY WILLIE
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 67)
Performer Tilden, Lamont
Place collected Canada : Ontario : Toronto
Collector Fowke, Edith
MY BOY WILLIE
Source Fowke, Ring Around the Moon pp.112-113
Performer Tilden, Lamont
Place collected Canada : Ontario : Harriston
Collector Fowke, Edith
BILLY BOY
Source Chase, Traditional Ballads, Songs & Singing Games (1935) p.25
Performer
Place collected USA : N. Carolina (Tune)
BILLY BOY
Source Cambiaire, East Tennessee & Western Virginia Mountain Ballads (1934) pp.45-46
Performer
Place collected USA : Tennessee or Virginia
Collector Cambiaire, Celestin Pierre
BILLY BOY
Source Pankake, Prairie Home Companion Folk Song Book (1988) p.267
Performer
Place collected USA
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Leach, The Book of Ballads (1967) p.6
Performer
Place collected USA : Illinois
Collector Leach, MacEdward
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Howard, Dorothy's World (1977) pp.280-281
Performer Howard, Dorothy
Place collected USA : Texas : Sabine Bottom
Collector Howard, Dorothy
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version a)
Performer Jeffries, Mrs. Maggie E.
Place collected USA : Virginia : Culpeper
Collector Jeffries, Margaret
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version b)
Performer Bentley, Miss Opal
Place collected USA : Virginia : Esserville
Collector Hamilton, Emory L.
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version c)
Performer Collins, Mrs. Daniel
Place collected USA : Virginia : Glamorgan
Collector Adams, John Taylor
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version d)
Performer Kilgore, Mrs. Lenore Carene
Place collected USA : Virginia : Big Laurel
Collector Adams, John Taylor
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version e)
Performer Ashby, Mrs. Rebecca
Place collected USA : Virginia : Waterfall
Collector Morton, Susan R.
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version f)
Performer Ewell, Miss M.A.
Place collected USA : Virginia : Haymarket
Collector Morton, Susan R.
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version g)
Performer Bowling, Miss Mildred
Place collected USA : Virginia : Ferrum
Collector Sloan, Raymond H.
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version h)
Performer Quesenberry, Miss Edith
Place collected USA : Virginia : Hillsville
Collector Scales, Bessie A.
BILLY BOY
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.947 (version i)
Performer
Place collected USA : Virginia : Roanoke
Collector Blair, Gertrude
BILLY BOY
Source Solomon, Sweet Bunch of Daisies (1991) pp.38-39
Performer Allen, Ella Kate / Miss Ruth Herren (Tune)
Place collected USA : Alabama
Collector Troy State Univ. Students
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress: Archive of American Folk Culture 2653 A1
Performer Hunter, Bessie Helen & Freddie C.
Place collected USA : Texas : Newton
Collector Lomax, John A. & Ruby T.
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress: Archive of American Folk Culture 2633 A2
Performer Mansell, Mrs. Shirley Lomax
Place collected USA : Texas : Comanche
Collector Lomax, John A. & Ruby T.
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress: Archive of American Folk Culture 2637 B2
Performer Taylor, Loretta / Mrs. N.V. Braley
Place collected USA : Texas : Medina
Collector Lomax, John A. & Ruby T.
BILLY BOY
Source Hugill, Shanties from the Seven Seas (1961) pp.450-452 (version a)
Performer
Place collected
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Hugill, Shanties from the Seven Seas (1961) pp.450-452 (version b)
Performer
Place collected
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Robert W. Gordon Collection (American Folklife Center, LOC) Cylinder A73 item NC 111
Performer Bird, W.E.
Place collected USA : N. Carolina
Collector Gordon, Robert W.
BILLY BOY
Source Gwilym Davies Collection
Performer Lahew, Russell
Place collected USA : W. Virginia : Mannington
Collector Davies, Gwilym
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
MY BOY BILLY
Source Kentucky Folklore Record 6:4 (1960) p.131 item 51
Performer Combs, Mrs. J.W. / Mrs. Rhoda Kelly
Place collected USA : Kentucky : Hindman
Collector Combs, Josiah H.
O WHERE ARE YOU GOING BILLY BOY BILLY BOY
Source Combs, Folk-Songs of the Southern United States (1967) p.219 item 142(a)
Performer Combs, Mrs. John W. / Mrs. Rhoda Kelly
Place collected USA : Kentucky : Hindman
Collector Combs, Josiah H.
O WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN BILLY BOY
Source Combs, Folk-Songs of the Southern United States (1967) p.219 item 142(b)
Performer Goff, Aubrey
Place collected USA : W. Virginia : Revel
Collector Combs, Josiah H. / Woofter, Carey
OH WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN BILLY-BOY BILLY-BOY
Source Combs, Folk-Songs of the Southern United States (1967) p.219 item 142(d)
Performer
Place collected USA : W. Virginia : Monongalia County
Collector Combs, Josiah H.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN BILLY BOY BILLY BOY
Source Combs, Folk-Songs of the Southern United States (1967) p.219 item 142(c)
Performer Lorenz, Mrs. Annie
Place collected USA : W. Virginia : Glenville
Collector Combs, Josiah H. / Woofter, Carey
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 1631 A1
Performer Bell, Barbara
Place collected USA : Washington DC
Collector Lomax, Alan
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 1782 B2
Performer Lunsford, Bascom Lamar
Place collected USA : N. Carolina : Asheville (New York)
Collector Hibbitt, George W. & William Cabell Greet
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 1782 B3
Performer Lunsford, Bascom Lamar
Place collected USA : N. Carolina : Asheville (New York)
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 3626 B1
Performer Nidleman, Beatrice
Place collected USA : New York
Collector Halpert, Herbert
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 3632 B2
Performer Nidleman, Beatrice
Place collected USA : New York
Collector Halpert, Herbert
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 3821 A2
Performer Day, Capt. William T.
Place collected USA : California : Oakland
Collector Robertson, Sidney
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 2006 A1-10 in.
Performer Garland, Clarice
Place collected USA : Kentucky : Pineville
Collector Barnicle, Mary Elizabeth
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 655 B1
Performer Group of girls
Place collected USA : Texas : Austin
Collector Lomax, John A.
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 2894 A2
Performer Franklin, Mrs. Cleophas
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Maryville
Collector Halpert, Herbert
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 848 B2
Performer Dusenbury, Mrs. Emma
Place collected USA : Arkansas : Mena
Collector Lomax, John A. / Laurence Powell
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 3776 A1
Performer Newman, Mrs. J.U.
Place collected USA : N. Carolina : Elon College
Collector Collins, Fletcher
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 3182 B2
Performer McDowell, Mrs. L.L.
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Smithville
Collector Robertson, Sidney
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 906 B2
Performer Morgan, Mrs. Minta
Place collected USA : Texas : Bells
Collector Lomax, John A.
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 2857 A2
Performer BUchanan, Mrs. W.R.
Place collected USA : N. Carolina : Heaton
Collector Halpert, Herbert
BILLY BOY
Source Library of Congress AAFS recording 2878 B1
Performer Bohannan, Ray
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Gatlinburg
Collector Halpert, Herbert
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) D53 B 08
Performer Althouse, Mrs.
Place collected USA : Connecticut : Danby
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) T10 B 17
Performer Earl, Merritt
Place collected USA : Vermont : Eden
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) C6 B 08
Performer Eaton, Amos
Place collected USA : Vermont : South Royalton
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) D43 B 10
Performer Eaton, Amos
Place collected USA : Vermont : South Royalton
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
Roud number 326
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) C1 B 01
Performer Kennison, Josiah
Place collected USA : Vermont : Townshend
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) D43 A 04
Performer Pettingell, Mrs. Grace
Place collected USA : Vermont : South Royalton
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) C1 B 07
Performer Session, Laura Hooker
Place collected USA : Vermont : Vergennes
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
BILLY BOY
Source Helen Hartness Flanders Collection (Middlebury College, Vermont) T5 A 17
Performer Webster, William
Place collected USA : Rhode Island : Wakefield
Collector Flanders, Helen Hartness
BILLIE BOY
Source Mary Elizabeth Barnicle-Tillman Cadle Collection (Archives of Appalachia, E. Tenn. State Univ.) Disc BC-156
Performer Jackson, Aunt Molly
Place collected USA : Kentucky (New York)
Collector Barnicle, Mary Elizabeth
BILLY BOY
Source Mary Elizabeth Barnicle-Tillman Cadle Collection (Archives of Appalachia, E. Tenn. State Univ.) Disc BC-270-271
Performer Garland, Clarice
Place collected USA : Kentucky : Pineville
Collector Barnicle, Mary Elizabeth
BILLIE BOY
MY BOY BILLY
Source Clive Carey MSS (VWML) Mi 349
Performer Goddard, Mrs.
Place collected USA : New Jersey
Collector Carey, Clive
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Journal of American Folklore 66 (1953) p.44
Performer
Place collected USA : New York
Collector
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY [no text or performer]
Source Attebery, Idaho Folklife (1985) pp.182-183
Performer
Place collected USA : Idaho
Collector Cheney, Thomas Edward
Source Mary Elizabeth Barnicle-Tillman Cadle Collection (Archives of Appalachia, E. Tenn. State Univ.) Disc BC-408
Performer Wilson, Lola / Hackler, Joy
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Jellico
Collector Cadle, Tillman
BILLY BOY
Source Mary Elizabeth Barnicle-Tillman Cadle Collection (Archives of Appalachia, E. Tenn. State Univ.) Disc BC-436
Performer Smoky Mountain Children
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Knoxville
Collector Cadle, Tillman
BILLY BOY
Source Buford, Folk Songs of Florida and Texas (1941) pp.56-57
Performer Spann, Mrs. S.R.
Place collected USA : Florida / Texas
Collector Buford, Mary Elizabeth
BILLIE BOY
Source Song Ballads & Other Songs of the Pine Mountain Settlement School (1923) pp.42-43
Performer
Place collected USA : Kentucky : Pine Mountain
Collector
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Duncan, Ballads & Folk Songs Collected in Northern Hamilton County (1939) pp.341-342
Performer Irvin, Mrs. Mattie
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Sale Creek
Collector Duncan, Ruby
BILLY BOY
Source Anderson, A Collection of Ballads & Songs from East Tennessee (1936) p.264
Performer Goddard, Mrs. Hobart
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Maryville
Collector
Roud number 326 | Roud number search
BILLY BOY
Source Haun, Cocke County Ballads & Songs (1937) p.154
Performer Haun, Mrs. Maggie
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Cocke County
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Mason, Folk Songs and Folk Tales of Cannon County, Tennessee (1939) p.147
Performer Bowen, Dema
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Geedville
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Perry, A Sampling of the Folklore of Carter County, Tennessee (1938) p.283
Performer
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Carter County
Collector
BILLY BOY
Source Carson J. Robison's World's Greatest Collection of Mountain Ballads (1930) p.33
Performer Robison, Carson J.
Place collected USA
----------------------
Collected by M. C. Parler Mrs. Retha Hanna
West Fork, Ark. Aug. 18, 1959
Reel 315, Item 7
"My mother used to sing it many years ago."
Billy Boy
Oh, where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Oh, Where have you been, charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife,
She's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she set for you a chair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she set for you a chair, charming Billy?
Yes, she set for me a chair;
She's got ringlets in her hair;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
How tall is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
How tall is she, charming Billy?
She's as tall as any pine
And as straight as a punkin vine;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
How old is she, charming Billy?
She's three times six, four times seven, Twenty-eight and eleven,
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?
She can make a cherry pie Quick as a cat can wink her eye,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Does she often go to church, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Does she often go to church, charming Billy?
Yes she often goes to church, With her bonnet white as birch,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she ask you to sit down, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she ask you to sit down, charming Billy?
She did ask me to sit down With a curtsey to the ground,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Can she make a pudding well, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she make a pudding well, charming Billy?
She can make a pudding well, I can tell it by the smell,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Can she make a feather bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she make a feather bed, charming Billy?
She can make a feather bed, Place the pillows at the head,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Can she card and can she spin, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she card and can she spin, charming Billy?
She can card and she can spin, She can do most anything,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
----------------------
Collected by Helen McAllister For Mary Celestia Parler Transcribed by Helen McAllister
Sung by Mrs. M. D. Meiser Springdale, Arkansas July 30, 1959
and Sue Holley
Reel 291, Item 2
Billy Boy
Where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Oh where have you been, charming Billy?
I have been to see my wife, she's the pride of my life,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she ask you to come in, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did she ask you to come in, charming Billy?
Yes, she asked me to come in, with a dimple in her chin,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she set for you a chair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did she set for you a chair, charming Billy?
Yes, she set for me a chair, with the ringlets in her hair,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Does she wear a dolly varden, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Does she wear a dolly varden, charming Billy?
Yes she wears a dolly varden and she reads Enoch Arden
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Can she bake a cherry pie, charming Billy?
Yes, she can bake a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink her eye
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
How old is she, charming Billy?
She is 3x6 - 4x7 - 48 and eleven
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.