Billy Boy

(Left her mammy-O; My Bonnie Hieland Lassie; Willie Can She Cook?)

Where hev ye been all the day, Billy Boy, Billy boy
Ch: Where hev ye been all the day, me Billy Boy?
I've been walkin' all the day
With me chamin' Nancy Grey
Ch: And me Nancy kittl'd me fancy Oh me charmin' Billy Boy.

Is she fit to be yor wife, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Is she fit to be yor wife, me Billy Boy?
She's as fit to be me wife
As the fork is to the knife
And me Nancy, etc.

Can she cook a bity o' steak, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she cook a bit o' steak, me Billy Boy?
She can cook a bit o' steak,
Aye, and make a gairdle cake
And me Nancy, etc.

Can she make an Irish Stew, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Can she make an Irish Stew, me Billy Boy?
She can make an Irish Stew,
Aye and "Singin' Hinnies" too.
And me Nancy, etc.

From The Shanty Book by Richard Runciman Terry (1921 and 1926)

Does she sleep right close to thee, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
Aye, she sleeps quite close to me, like the bark is to the tree.

Can she make a feather bed, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
She can make a feather bed firm for any sailor's head.

Will she ever let yer go, Billy Boy, Billy Boy?
No she'll never let me go, for she's mine from truck to toe.

Additional verses
From Songs of the Sea by Stan Hugill (1977)