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