Where have you been all the day bonny boy Billy Boy
Where have you been all the day O me dear darling Billy O
Oh I have been all the day walking with a lady gay
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

Is she fitting for your wife bonny boy Billy Boy
Is she fitting for your wife O me dear darling Billy O
She's as fit to be me wife as the heart is to the knife
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

And did she ask you to sit down bonny boy Billy Boy
Did she ask you to sit down O me dear darling Billy O
Well she asked me to sit down then she curtsied to the ground
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

Did she light you up to bed bonny boy Billy Boy
Did she light you up to bed O me dear darling Billy O
Yes she lit me up to bed with a nodding of her head
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

Did she lie so close to you bonny boy Billy Boy
Did she lie so close to you O me dear darling Billy O
Yes she lay so close to me as the bark is to the tree
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

Do you want to know her age bonny boy Billy Boy
Do you want to know her age O me dear darling Billy O
She is twice six seven she is twice twenty and eleven
Isn't she a young thing lately from her mummy o

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 whole life
But 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
But 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
But 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
But 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
But she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother

Can she cook and can she spin, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she cook and can she spin, Charming Billy?
She can cook and she can spin, she can do most anything
But 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 as a cat can wink her eye
But 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 and put pillows at the head
But she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother

Can she make a pudding well, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make a pudding well, Charming Billy?
She can make a pudding well, I can tell it by the smell
But 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
But 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 her bonnet white as birch
But 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
But 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
But 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
But 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
But she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother

Is she fit to be a wife, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Is she fit to be a wife, Charming Billy?
She's as fit to be a wife as a fork fits to a knife
But she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother