Billie Boy- LaFar (GA) pre1947 Matteson
[From American Folk-Songs for Young Children by Maurice Matteson 1947. Collected by my grandfather shortly after he moved to Beaufort, South Carolina from Frostburg, Maryland. His notes follow.
This version is unusual because it is in the first person, i.e., Billie is baking the pie, is very old and is sweeping the floor.
R. Matteson 2014]
"Billie Boy" is a favorite with children everywhere. This Georgia version, sung by Margaret LaFar of Savannah Georgia, is much fun and is to be entered into with full appreciation of the humor of the song.
Billie Boy
Can you bake a cherry pie,
Billie Boy, Billie Boy?
Can you bake a cherry pie,
Charming Billie?
I can bake a cherry, pie,
Quick as a cat can wink her eye,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mammy.
How old are you,
Billie Boy, Billie Boy?
How old-are you,
Charming Billie?
I'm twice six and seven,
Twice thirty and eleven
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mammy.
Can you sweep up the floor,
Billie Boy, Billie Boy?
Can you sweep up the floor,
Charming Billie?
I can sweep up the floor,
Sweep the dirt behind the door,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mammy.
Oh, where have you been,
Billie Boy, Billie Boy?
Oh, where have you been,
Charming Billie?
I have been to see my wife,
She's the joy of my life,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mammy.