Nursery rhymes are quirky, cute, and fun to sing. Like most nursery rhymes, Billy Boy has its roots in ancient times. Do you want to know where the song originated from? Would you like more information about Billy Boy nursery rhyme's lyrics and its extended version?
Did you know that it was originally a traditional folk song? A version of the song was collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams for publication in 1912. He listed Billy Boy at 232 in the Novello's School Songs collection.
Let’s check out the lyrics and history of Billy Boy. Download the printable PDF version of the song.
Written Lyrics
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 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.
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
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 an eye,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
Did she set for you a chair,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she set for you a chair,
Charming Billy?
Yes, she sat for me a chair.
She has ringlets in her hair.
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
How old is she now,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old is she now,
Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty-eight and eleven,
She's a young thing
And cannot leave her mother.
Printable Lyrics
Here is a printable version of the Billy Boy song. (PDF Attached)
Photo Lyrics
Save the copy of Billy Boy song lyrics as pictures and enjoy. This not-so-little nursery rhyme is fun to sing, isn’t it?
Video Links
Here are the videos for both versions of the song. Sing along with the Billy Boy video to memorize the tune!
Click here for the children’s version: https://youtu.be/Oh5gU3_sMZg
Click here for another version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fuJz2u7oCM
Origins and History
Billy Boy has its origins in 19th century England. It is a traditional folk song in a question-and-answer format with recurring verses. The song became famous in the United States and is still considered a popular nursery rhyme in the country.
It is a quirky and lively song where a person asks Billy Boy a bunch of questions. The answers to the questions are related to Billy Boy’s quest for the love of his life. But the girl is a ‘young thing and cannot leave her mother’.
It’s said that the song is connected to Lord Randall, an Anglo-Scottish border ballad where a mother questions her young son, and he answers them. There are various versions of the song, some about cooking, courtship, and murder. Yes! The version we have is the one for kids. 😉
Billy Boy is number 326 in the Roud Folk Song Index, which is a vast database of 250,000 songs in English from different parts of the world. The collection consists of songs orally shared from one generation to another.
FAQs
Well, yes. The twist comes at the end of the song. When Billy Boy is asked about the girl’s age, he gives such a complicated answer that we realize she isn’t a ‘young’ thing. In fact, she is someone much older than Billy Boy. It puts a spin on the rest of the song and presents it in a different light.
It’s hard to mention the exact number, though there are more than half a dozen versions.
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