G'day,

This came up as a request in a separate thread ("Stewie id the Man!") and I thought it best to post to a sparate "Lyr Add" thread so the song is noticed for DigiTrad.

Thios was sung in the late '40s by Bob Dyer, who ca,e to Australia as The Last of the Hillbillies. His act probably seemed run-of-the-mill back home in USA (and was incomprehensible to the English) but it struck a chord in Aussie and he went on to become rich running radio, then TV shows. This is where he came from!

The Death of Willie
As sung by Bob Dyer, February 1939
Tune; (roughly) Little Old Log Cabin on the Plain

(Howdy folks, howdy. I guess you people have heard hillbilly singers and hillbilly musicians of every rank - but you've never heard on as rank as me! I've got a song I want to sing for you folks – now is an awful sad song. It's called "The Death of Willie". Oh it's a sad song ... the way I sing the darned thing, it's pitiful. Anyway, it's called "The Death of Willie" .. and if Willie don't die, damn him, George and the boys'll kill him. What do you say? You all set - now here we go; get together and bear down . A one and a two and a toutely ensemble cantabile ... let her flicker!

He's gone from us forever, our darlin' blue-haired boy
Our cock-eyed darlin, we will see no more
He gently passed away on the 93rd of May
He never died so suddenly before.

We knowed that he was a'dyin' by the freckles on his breath
His eyeballs was draggin' in the mud
The doctor said the only way to save Willie's life
Was stop the circulation of the blood.
(Play it boys ... [instrumental] ...)

No more upon the mat, will he tease poor pussy cat
No more between his teeth will he chew her tail (g-nash, g-nash)
No more will he press her nose up against the red-hot stove
Our little brother Willie has kicked the pail ... kicked the bucket.

We soaked Willie's head, in the pot of boilin'lead
But, alas, all our efforts was in vain
The burglars came that night and they burgled without a light
And they burgled the mustard plasters off his chest.

We filled his mouth with glue, thinkin' that would fetch him to
But again all our efforts were in vain
For after all we tried, he just heaved a sigh and died
He sneezed, blowed his nose and died again.

(Here we go again! ... {instrumental break] ... )

I have included Bob Dyer's introduction and asides (in italics to give more of the general flavour of his performance, here in Australia, as the "Last of the Hillbillys" ... bashed-in hat, hayseed clothing, yellow socks and strumming a ukulele. (I am reliably informed that he was rated then as the third-best ukulele player in the world!)

This performance is re-released on Warren Fahey Presents Yesterday's Australia: Stars of Australian Stage & Radio, Volume 2,, Larrikin Records / National Film & Sound Archive CD LRH 430.
Regards,

Bob Bolton ^^