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.
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,
She has ringlets in her hair,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Can she make a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a chery pie, charming Billy?
She can make a cherry pie,
Quick as a cat can wink her eye;
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.
How tall is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How tall is she, charming Billy?
She's tall as any pine,
And 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.
How old is she, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old is she, charming Billy?
She's three times six, four times seven,
Twenty-eitht and eleven,
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother.
Information About Billy Boy
Billy Boy is a traditional folk song and nursery rhyme from the United States.
The song was written around 1930.
The final verse can be interpreted to be a math puzzle.
Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs
This version has 13 stanzas that you can sing along to
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 idol 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 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,
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 bake a cherry pie,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she bake a cherry pie,
Charming Billy?
She can bake a cherry pie,
Quick's a cat can wink her 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 may she be,
Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
How old may she be,
Charming Billy?
Three times six and four times seven,
Twenty eight and eleven,
She's a young thing,
And cannot leave her mother.