Billy Boy- Terry (Northumbrian) 1920
Sailor Shanties. I
by R. R. Terry
Music & Letters, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Jan., 1920), pp. 35-44
Folk-songs learnt ashore in his native fishing village provided much of the material from which the sailor's shanty was fashioned. Sometimes there would be no adaptation, and the song (especially if it had a double refrain) would be sung complete, as in the following example. It is Northumbrian in origin, and deals with the same topic as "My boy Billy" collected by Dr. Vaughan-Williams.
Both words and tune are different from Dr. Vaughan-Williams's, but the idea is the same:-" Billy" has been out courting, and undergoes cross-questioning concerning the qualifications of his lady-love as housewife. The theme seems common (with varying words and tune) to several English counties.
BILLY BOY
VERSE 1: Shantyman: Where hev ye been aal the day, Billy Boy, Bily Boy?
Chorus: Where hev ye been aal the day, me Billy Boy?
Shantyman: I've been walk-in' aal the day... with me charm-in' Nancy Grey,
Chorus. And me Nancy kittl'd* me fan-cy, Oh me charmin' Billy Boy.
VERSE 2. Solo: Is she fit to be yor wife, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Chorus: Is she fit to be yor wife, My Billy Boy?
Solo: She's as fit to be me wife As the fork is to the knife,
Chorus: And me Nancy kittl'd* me fan-cy, Oh me charmin' Billy Boy.
* Kittl'd = tickled.