Billy Boy- Randolph (Seven Versions- Mo.) 1930
[From Ozark Folksongs, Vol. 1, 1946. Randolph gives seven versions, A-G. Since they are not complete versions, it's better to give all of them here than to separate them.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
A. BILLY BOY- Frank Payne; Galena Mo., Sept. 3, 1933
Oh where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh where have you been, charmin' Billy?
I have been to seek a wife, She's th' joy of all my life,
She's a young thing an' she cain't leave her mother!
Did she ask you to come in, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you to come in, charmin' Billy?
Yes, she ask me in, with the dimple in her chin,
She's a young thing an' she cain't leave her mother!
Can she bake a cherry pie,
She can bake a cherry pie, quick as a cat can wink her eye,
Can she make a puddin' well,
She can make a puddin' well, I can tell it by the smell,
Is she fittin' for your wife,
She's as fittin for my wife as my pocket for my knife,
B. James Richmond; Kingston, Ark. Aug. 24, 1930 adds two more verses to the "Billy Boy" song:
Did she set for you a chair, Billy boy, Billy boy?
Did she set for you a chair, chaimin' Billy?
Yes, she set for me a chair, with the wrinkles in her hair,
She's a young thing, an' cannot leave her mother.
How tall is she, Billy boy, Billy boy?
How tall is she, charmin' Billy?
She's as tall as any pine, straight as any pumpkin vine,
She's a young thing, an' cannot leave her mother.
C. Here is another stanza, from a version supplied by Miss Myrtle Lain, Linn Creek, Mo., Feb. 14, 1930, who writes: "This song was sung by my great-grandmother, right here in Camden County, Missouri."
Can she bake a pone of bread, Billy boy, Billy boy?
Can she bake a pone of bread, charmin' Billy?
she can bake a pone of bread, with skilleit an' a lid,
she's a little young thing, an' cain't leave her mammy.
D. Mr. Curt Boren, Bentonville, Ark., Dec. 17, 1932, contributes a text from which I take the following:
Can she make a feather-bed, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Can she make a feather-bed, chaimin' Billy?
she can make a feather-bed an' put the pillers at the head,
She's a young gal, an' caint leave her mother.
Can she card an' can she spin, Billy boy, Billy boy?
Can she card an' can she spin, charmin' Billy?
She can card an' she can spin, she can do most anything,
She's a young gal, an' caint leave her mother.
How old is she, Billy boy, Billy boy?
How old is she, charmin' Billy?
She's three times. seven, eighteen an' eleven,
She's a young gal, an' caint leave her mother.
E. A manuscript copy communicated by Miss Lucile Morris, Springfield, Mo., Oct. 28, 1934 has a slightly different ending:
How old is she, Billy boy, Billy boy?
How old is she, charmin' Billy?
she is six twice twenty-four and in time she will be more,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
F. Additional stanzas from Mrs. Leonard short, Caboot, Mo., March 31, 1940.
Does she often go to church, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Does she often go to church, charmin' Billy?
Yes, she often go.r to church, with her bonnet white as birch,
she's a voung thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she ask you to sit down, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she ask you to sit down, charmin' Billy?
She did ask me to sit down, with a curtsy to the ground,
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.
G. From Miss Louise McDowell, Galena, Mo., Aug. 19, 1941.
How old is she, Billy boy, Billy boy?
How old is she, chaiming Billy?
Past six, past seven, past twenty and eleven,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.