Billy Boy- (ON) 1950 Creighton B, C, D (3 versions)
[From Traditional Songs From Nova Scotia by Creighton and Senior, 1950, pp. 246-47. Three versions, B, C and D.
R. Matteson 2014]
Billy Boy [B] Sung by Mrs. Alice Conrad, Woodside. Same tune as Mrs. Dennis Greenough's.
1. O where have you been, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
O where have you been, charming Billy?
I've been seeking for a wife, all the treasures of my life,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
2. Can she row a boat ashore, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she row a boat ashore, charming Billy?
she can row a boat ashore with a paddle and an oar,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
3. Did she bid you come in, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she bid you come in, charming Billy?
she did bid me come in, she's got dimples in her chin,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
4. Did she bid you take a chair, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Did she bid you take a chair, charming Billy?
She did bid me take a chair, she's got curls in her hair,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
5. can she make a feather bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Can she make a feather bed, charming Billy?
she can make a feather bed with a needle and a thread,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
6. How old is she now, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
How old is she now, charming Billy?
Three times six, four times seven, twenty-eight and eleven,
she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Billy Boy [C] - Sung by Mr. Enos Hartlan, South-East Passage.
Could she boil a pudding well, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Could she boil a pudding well, charming Billy?
She could boil a pudding well, you could tell it by the smell,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mammy.
Could she row a boat ashore, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Could she row a boat ashore, charming Billy?
She could row a boat ashore with a paddle and an oar,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mammy.
Billy Boy [D] Sung by Mrs. Robart, Woodside.
Could she make a huckleberry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy,
Could she make a huckleberry pie, charming Billy,
She could make a huckleberry pie, quick as a cat can wink her eye,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mammy.