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Silly Bill/ Common Bill
Traditional Old-time Song by Frank Spear 1861;
ARTIST: Carl Sandburg's Songbag 1927.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes; DATE: Early 1900’s;
RECORDING INFO: Silly Bill
Silly Bill [Me II-B13]
Rt - Common Bill
1. Brady, Rafe. Cherokee Rose, Heritage (Galax) 032, LP (1981), trk# 2
2. Burcham, Terry. 49th Annual Galax Old Fiddlers Convention, Heritage (Galax) 700, LP (1985), trk# 7
3. Cahan, Andy;, Laura Fishleder and Lisa Ornstein. Ship in the Clouds, Folkways FTS 31062, LP (1978), trk# 18
4. Hellman, Neal. Hellman, Neal / Dulcimer Songbook, Oak, Sof (1977), p37
5. Hopkins, Al; and his Buckle Busters. Hill Billies, County 405, LP (1973), trk# A.05 [1926/04/30]
6. Kimble Family. Carroll County Pioneers, Marimac 9036, Cas (1992), trk# 13 [1973-77] (Going Down To Raleigh)
7. Krassen, Miles. Krassen, Miles / Appalachian Fiddle, Oak, sof (1973), p59
8. Marion, Carlie. Going Across the River to Hear my Banjo Ring, Marimac 9018, Cas (1988), trk# 18
9. Mountain Ramblers. Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), trk# 1.22 [1959/07ca]
10. New Lost City Ramblers. Cohen, John, Mike Seeger & Hally Wood / Old Time String Band Songbook, Oak, Sof (1976/1964), p 76
11. Paisley, Bob; and the Southern Grass. Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass, Rounder 0142, LP (1981), trk# 9
12. Russell Family. Old Time Dulcimer Sounds from the Mountains, County 734, LP (1972), trk# 4
13. Stoneman, Ernest; and the Blue Ridge Corn Shuckers. Day in the Mountains, County 512, LP (196?), trk# 7b [1928/02/22] (Possum Trot School Exhibition)
Common Bill [Me II-B13] -Rt - Silly Bill
Sm - Solomon Levi
14. Pound, Louise (ed.) / American Ballads and Songs, Scribner's, Sof (1972), p214/#104 [1914] (I Will Tell You of a Fellow)
15. Lomax, John A. & Alan Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.325 (Hardly Think I Will)
16. Shekerjian, Haig and Regina / Book of Ballads, Songs and Snatches, Harper, sof (1966), p144
17. Brown, Ida. Scarborough, Dorothy / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p308,437 [1930]
18. Eddy, Mary O.. Sandburg, Carl / American Songbag, Harcourt Brace Jovan..., Sof (1955/1928), p 62
19. Hastings, Dr. George E.. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, University of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p427/#119A [1938/11/14]
20. Keene, Mrs. M.. Morris, Alton C. / Folksongs of Florida, Univ. Florida, Bk (1950), p372/#199 [1934-39]
21. Kinnaird, Cinderella. Randolph, Vance / Ozark Folksongs. Volume I, British Ballads and Songs, University of Missouri, Bk (1980/1946), p428/#119B [1939/08/16]
22. Linscott, Jennie Hardy. Linscott, Eloise Hubbard / Folk Songs of Old New England, Dover, Bk (1993/1939), p187 [1920-30s]
23. O'Bryant, Joan. Folksongs and Ballads of Kansas, Folkways FA 2134, LP (1957), trk# A.03
24. O'Bryant, Joan. Asch, Moses (ed.) / 124 Folk Songs as Sung and Recorded on Folkways Reco, Robbins Music, Fol (1965), p 30
25. Rasnake, Mary Elizabeth. Scarborough, Dorothy / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p309 [1930]
26. Weavers. Weavers Almanac, Vanguard VRS 9100, LP (196?), trk# B.02 (Bill)
Solomon Levi
Mf - Common Bill ; Pork, Beans, and Hard-Tack
27. Robison, Carson; and his Pleasant Valley Boys. Square Dances, RCA (Victor) LPM-1238, LP (1956), trk# A.03
I. G. Greer w. Mrs. I. G. Greer, "Common Bill" (AFS; on LC14)
Hill Billies, "Silly Bill" (OKeh 40294, 1925)
McGee Brothers, "Charming Bill" (Vocalion 5166, 1927)
McGee Brothers & Todd, "Common Bill" (on CrowTold02)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Common Bill" (on NLCR10)
OTHER NAMES: Common Bill; Bill Green; Charming Bill; Hardly Think I Will
SOURCES: 1893 (Broadwood & Maitland)
Randolph 119, "Common Bill" (2 texts)
Eddy 57, "Common Bill" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 178, "Common Bill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott, pp. 187-188, "Common Bill" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 195, "Common Bill" (1 text plus 1 excerpt and mention of 3 more)
Hudson 57, pp. 173-174, "Common Bill" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 308-310, "Common Bill" (2 texts, 1 tune on pp. 437-438)
Sandburg, pp. 62-63, "Common Bill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 325-326, "Hardly Think I Will" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 76, "Silly Bill" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 104, pp. 214-215, "I Will Tell You of a Fellow" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 172, "Common Bill" (1 text)
RELATED TO: "Solomon Levi" (melody); "Barney O'Hea" (theme)
NOTES: The singer says Bill "isn't charming," and is "altogether green." He courts her relentlessly, to her scorn. At last he says that he will kill himself if she does not wed him. Citing the Bible's injunction against killing, she consents.
Accordign to Meade, the song was written in 1861 by Frank Spear, Lyman Heath, and A. J. Higgins.
COMMON BILL- Sandburg, pp. 62-63, "Common Bill" (1 text, 1 tune)
1) I will tell you of a fellow,
Of a fellow I have seen;
Who is neither white nor yellow,
But is altogether green;
And his name it isn't charming,
For it's only common Bill,
And he wishes me to wed him,
But I hardly think I will.
2) He was here the other night,
And he made so long a stay
I began to think the gump-head
Would never go away;
Oh, he talked of devotion,
Of devotion pure and bright,
And don't you think the fool-killer
He nearly stayed all night.
3) And he wants me for to wed him,
And the very deuce is in it,
For he says if I refuse him
He cannot live a minute;
And you know the blessed Bible
It teaches not to kill,
And I've thought the matter over,
And I guess I'll marry Bill.
COMMON BILL (2nd version) American Songbag Additional verses from Grieg
I will tell you of a fellow,
Of a fellow I have seen;
Who is neither white nor yellow,
But is altogether green;
And his name it isn't charming,
For it's only common Bill,
And he wishes me to wed him,
But I hardly think I will.
He has told me of a cottage
A cottage among the trees
And don't you think the fellow
Tumbled down upon his knees
And the tears the creature wasted
Were enough to turn a mill
And he urges me to wed him
But I do not think I will
And he said twould be so pleasant
As we journeyed down the hill
To go hand and hand together
But I cannot think I will
He was here the other night,
And he made so long a stay
I began to think the gump-head
Would never go away;
Oh, he talked of devotion,
Of devotion pure and bright,
And don't you think the fool-killer
He nearly stayed all night.
And he wants me for to wed him,
And the very deuce is in it,
For he says if I refuse him
He cannot live a minute;
And you know the blessed Bible
It teaches not to kill,
And I've thought the matter over,
And I guess I'll marry Bill.
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