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.
Where does she live, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Oh, where does she live? charming Billy?
She lives on the hill, forty miles from the mill.
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 bade me to come in, and to kiss her on the chin.
She’s a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Did she take your hat, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Did she take your hat, charming Billy?
Yes, she took my hat, and she threw it at the cat.
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 set for me a chair, but the bottom wasn’t there.
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.
Can she make a feather bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a feather bed, charming Billy?
She can make a feather bed, that will rise above your head.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
Can she milk a heifer calf, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she milk a heifer calf, charming Billy?
Yes, she can, and not miss the bucket more than half.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
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.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
And is she very tall, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
And is she very tall, charming Billy?
She’s as tall as any pine, and as straight as a pumpkin vine.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
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.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
Can she sing a pretty song, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she sing a pretty song, Charming Billy?
She can sing a pretty song,
But she often sings it wrong.
She’s a young thing, and cannot leave her mother.
How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old is she, Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty-eight and eleven,
She’s a young thing / And cannot leave her mother.
