Billy Boy- Burdette (MS) pre1926 Hudson C
[From Ballads and Songs from Mississippi by Arthur Palmer Hudson; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 39, No. 152 (Apr. - Jun., 1926), pp. 93-194; four versions A-D. Hudson's notes follow.
R. Matteson 2011, 2014]
C. Billy Boy. Communicated by Miss Elizabeth Burdette, a student in the University of Mississippi.
1. "O where are you going, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
O where are you going, charming Billy?"
"O, I'm going to see my wife,
She's the joy of my life;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!"
2. "Did she bid you come in Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she bid you come in charming Billy ?"
"Yes, she bade me come in,
Here's a dimple in her chin;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!"
3. "Can she bake an cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she bake an cherry pie, charming Billy?"
"She can bake an cherry pie
As quick as a cat can wink its eye;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother!"
4. "Is she very tall, Billy Boy ......... ?"
"Yes, she is very tall, and she has no hair at all," etc.
5. "How tall is she, Billy Boy,.......... ?"
"She's as tall as any pine, and as straight as a pumpkin vine," etc.
6. "How old is she, Billy Boy, ............?"
"Twice six, twice seven, three times forty and eleven, ........" etc.
7. "What is her name, Billy Boy .......... ?"
"Snap Peter, Snap Pooter, Firelander, Goshooter,
She's a young thing, and can't leave her mother."