Billy Boy, A Curious Legend- White (Boston) 1847
[From Levy Collection, words and music -- anon. Billy Boy, A Curious Legend arranged for the Piano Forte by Edward L. White. Published by Oliver Ditson, 115 Washington St. Boston, Plate Number: 1295; [Source: 049/009@Levy]
R. Matteson 2014]
BILLY BOY- Arranged by Edward L. White, 1847
"Billy Boy" (1847)
[Words and Music -- anon.]
A Curious Legend.
Arranged for the
Piano Forte
By Edward L. White.
Boston: Oliver Ditson, 115 Washington St.
Plate Number: 1295
[Source: 049/009@Levy]
1. 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.
[REFRAIN sung after each verse]
She’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
2. Did she bid you to come in, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Did she bid you to come in, charming Billy?
Yes, she bade me to come in,
There’s a dimple in her chin.
3. Did she set for you a chair, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Dis she set for you a chair, charming Billy?
Yes, she set for me a chair,
She has ringlets in her hair.
4. Can she make a cherry pie, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Can she make a cherry pie, charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink her eye.
5. Is she often seen at church, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Is she often seen at church, charming Billy?
Yes she’s often seen at church
With a bonnet white as birch.
6. How tall is she, Billy boy, Billy boy,
How tall is she charming Billy?
She’s as tall as any pine,
And as straight as a pumpkin vine.
7. Are her eyes very bright, Billy boy, Billy boy,
Are her eyes very bright charming Billy?
Yes her eyes are very bright,
But alas, they’re minus sight.
8. 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.