|
Billy Boy
Traditional Tune and Lyrics.
ARTIST: Stanton Sisters backed by Georgia Wildcats w/Clayton McMichen fiddle; 12-21-1940; From Lawrence Sink of WDBJ Roanoke Radio broadcasts.
LISTEN: Billy Boy- Stauton Sisters backed by Georgia Wildcats 1940
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes.
DATE: Melody dates to 1776; Collected in 1916.
RECORDING INFO: Carthy, Martin. Sweet Wivelsfield, Rounder 3020, LP (1974), cut# 2; Donovan Family. Traveling People of Ireland, Lyrichord LLST 7178, LP (1967), cut#A.08; Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society. Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society, Fiddlin' Whale, LP (197?), cut#B.03; Ives, Burl. Ballads, United Artists UAL 3060, LP (1959), cut#A.03 (Willie Boy); Kincaid, Bradley. Bradley Kincaid, Volume 1, Old Homestead OHCS-314, LP (1984), cut#A.02; Langstaff, John. John Langstaff Sings American and English Folk Songs and Ballads, Tradition TLP 1009, LP (196?), cut#B.02; McCurdy, Ed. Best of Ed McCurdy, Tradition TLP 1051, LP, cut# 7; McCurdy, Ed. Children's Songs, Tradition TLP 1027, LP (1958), cut#A.01; Ritchie, Jean; and Oscar Brand. Shivaree!, Esoteric ES-538, LP (1955), cut# 15 (My Boy Billy); Ritchie, Jean; and Oscar Brand. Courting and Riddle Songs, Washington WLP 706, LP (196?), cut#B.08; Tenenbaum, Molly. And the Hillsides Are All Covered with Cakes, Cat Hair, Cas (1994), cut# 8; Almanac Singers and Josh White. That's Why We're Marching. World War II and the American Folk..., Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40021, CD (1996), cut# 4;
OTHER NAMES: “My Boy Willie;” “Billie Boy,”
RELATED TO: "Walk Jaw Bone," "Green Mountain," "Cake's All Dough," "Did You Ever See the Devil, Uncle Joe," "Uncle Joe," "Hop Light/High Ladies," "Miss McLeod's Reel."
SOURCES: From American Ballads and Folk Songs, pp. 320-322, "Billy Boy". American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.320; Allen, Ella Kate. Sweet Bunch of Daisies, Colonial Press, Bk (1991), p 38; American Ballads and Songs, Scribners, Sof (1972/1922), p231; Bronson (12); Randolph 104, "Billy Boy;" Eddy 38, "Billy Boy;" Wyman-Brockway I, p. 14, "Billie Boy"; Sharp-100E 58, "My Boy Willie"; Lomax-ABFS, pp. 320-322, "Billy Boy"; LPound-ABS, 113, pp. 231-232, "Billy Boy"; JHCox 168, "Billy Boy"; Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 267, "Billy Boy"
Traditional Ballad Notes: Billy Boy
DESCRIPTION: Asked where he has been, Billy says he has been courting, and has found a girl, "but she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother." In response to other questions, he describes her many virtues, always returning to his refrain
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1776 (Herd, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: courting age youth
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,Ro,SE,So) Britain(England(North,South)) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES (25 citations):
Bronson (12), 29 versions (though Bronson omits a higher fraction than usual of the versions known to him)
Belden, pp. 499-501, "Billy Boy" (2 texts)
Randolph 104, "Billy Boy" (1 text plus a fragment and 5 excerpts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 131-133, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 104A)
BrownIII 121, "Billy Boy" (2 texts plus an excerpt; the headnotes mention 47 texts in the Brown collection)
Hudson 133, pp. 278-280, "Billy Boy" (4 texts, condensed, plus mention of "at least" 8 more)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 296-298, "Billy Boy" (4 texts, mostly short; 1 tune on p.435) {Bronson's #27}
Eddy 38, "Billy Boy" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 246-248, "Billy Boy" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, 1 tune) {Bronson's #20}
Flanders/Brown, pp. 162-163, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronon's #29}
Linscott, pp. 166-167, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #19}
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 14, "Billie Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #26}
Fuson, p. 105, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
Cambiaire, pp. 45-46, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
SharpAp 89, "My Boy Billy" (3 texts, 3 tunes) {B=Bronson's #22, C=#8}
Sharp-100E 58, "My Boy Willie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 320-322, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #28}
Hugill, pp. 450-452, "Billy Boy" (3 texts, 2 tunes) [AbrEd, pp. 336-338]
LPound-ABS, 113, pp. 231-232, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
JHCox 168, "Billy Boy" (4 texts)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 267, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
Opie-Oxford2 45, "Where have you been all the day, My boy Billy?" (2 texts)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "Billy Boy" (source notes only)
DT (12), BILLYBOY BLLYBOY2* BLLYBOY3*
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #40, "My Boy Tammy" (1 text)
Roud #326
RECORDINGS:
Ray Covert, "Billy Boy" (Herwin 75564, c. 1927)
Frank Crumit, "Billy Boy" (Victor 19945, 1926)
Donnie Stewart & Terry Perkins, "Billy Boy" (on JThomas01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1057), "The Lammy" ("Whar hae ye been a' day, my boy Tammy"), D. Bass (Newcastle), 1800-1810; also 2806 c.14(107), "The Lammie"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lord Randal" [Child 12]
NOTES: A number of scholars have linked this simple little song with the classic ballad "Lord Randall." Since they only have two things in common, however (the courting theme and certain metrical traits), in the Ballad Index at least we keep them separate.
De la Mare attributes the "My Boy Tammy" text to Hector MacNeill (1746-1818), a prolific author now almost forgotten. (Granger's Index to Poetry, for instance, cites only one of his poems: This one.) Given the dates of other versions, it seems unlikely that MacNeill originated "Billy Boy," but he may well have created a popular recension. - RBW
The Bodleian "Lammy"/"Lammie" texts match the first verse of Opie-Oxford2 45 second text.
The "Lammy"/"Lammie" texts are well enough known to have parodies. See, for example: NLScotland, L.C.1270(002), "Parody on the Lammy" ("O whar hae ye been a' day, creeshie souter Johnnie"), unknown, c.1845, an anti-alcohol song; Bodleian, Harding B 27(44), "Bottom's Song" ("Whar ha'e ye been a' day"), McNeil and Co. (Edinburgh?), no date, a song on 19th century politics. - BS
NOTES: Considered by some to be a version of Lord Randal, Child #12. Billy Boy has been a favorite square dance tune and fiddle tune.
Stanton Sisters backed by Georgia Wildcats w/Clayton McMichen fiddle; 12-21-1940; From Lawrence Sink of WDBJ Roanoke Radio broadcasts.
BILLY BOY- Stanton Sisters backed by Georgia Wildcats 1940
LISTEN: Billy Boy- Stauton Sisters backed by Georgia Wildcats 1940
[Brief Fiddle- McMichen]
Oh where have you been Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Oh where have you been charming Billy?
I have been to seek a wife, she's the joy of my life
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother
Did she ask you to come in Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Did she ask you to come in charming Billy?
Yes she asked me to come in, with a dimple on her chin
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother
[fiddle]
Can she bake a cherry pie Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she bake a cherry pie charming Billy?
She can she bake a cherry pie, in the twinkle of an eye
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
How tall is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How tall is she charming Billy?
She's as tall as a pine, and as thin as a pumpkin vine
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
|