Lyr Req: Willy Playboy? / Willy, Poor Boy

Subject: Lyr Req: Willy Playboy
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 19 May 11 - 04:29 PM

Does anyone have a complete set of lyrics for this?
One verse goes

"She asked me did I love her and I said I loved her some,
then she throwed her arms all round me,
like the bees around the gum.

Chor: And so its play then o willy playboy,
and it's why don't you play,
for the one I loved most dearly,
has gone square back on me.

Anyone know anything about this song?

Subject: ADD: Willy, Poor Boy
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 11 - 06:25 PM

WILLIE, POOR BOY

The train was almost started
The conductor come by with his lamp
And he whisered to me so kindly
"There's no room in here for a tramp

CHORUS
And it's play then Willie, poor boy
And it's why don't you play
For the one that I love so dearly
Has gone square back on me

I asked her did she love me
She said she loved me some
Then she threw her arms all around me
Like bees all around a gum
CHORUS

Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in the town
Sometimes I take a great notion
To jump in that river and drown


The last verse, a floater, gets in "Irene Goodnight" and lots of others. You'll find many more similiar type songs in "Old-Time String Band Songbook" Oak publications compiled by Mike Seeger and John Cohen of "The New lost City Ramblers. Lots of Charlie Poole songs in there as well.

Subject: Origins: willy playboy
From: GUEST,cibset
Date: 21 May 11 - 06:30 AM

Does anyone know this song?Play then o willy playboy,why don't you play?

Subject: RE: Origins: willy playboy
From: GUEST
Date: 21 May 11 - 02:21 PM

This was already answered May 19th in thread Lyrics Willy Playboy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Willy Playboy? / Willy, Poor Boy
From: GUEST,Thanks so much
Date: 08 Jul 11 - 04:31 PM

This is very interesting,as I learned this song from Rick Curtis in Indiana,who sang it as "playboy". Glad to have some lyrics again, Thanks

Subject: Lyr Add: WILLIE POOR BOY (Mance Lipscomb)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jul 11 - 07:47 AM

The first verse of this version also echoes GOODNIGHT IRENE. I transcribed this from YouTube.


WILLIE POOR BOY
As sung by Mance Lipscomb

Willie, Willie, Willie, poor boy. Do let my Savior be.
Yes, I love my baby; God knows I do. I'll love her till the sea goes dry.
If I thought she didn't love me, I'd take morphine and I'd die.

Oh, me; oh, my; do, Lord, remember me.
Went down to the ... ground [to] get me a load of corn,
Well a raccoon sic'd his dog on me and that possum blowed his horn.

Do, Lord, remember me.
I went down to New Orleans; didn't go down there to stay.
I fell in love with a brown-skin girl, stayed there half of my days.

Oh me, oh my, Willie, poor boy, do let my Savior be.
Would not marry a knotty-headed girl. Tell you the reason why.
'Cause ev'ry time she combs her head, the knots begin to fly

Now if I had a northern wife, I tell you what I'd do:
I'd take her down to New Orleans; I'd trade her off for corn.

Oh, mule; oh, mule; oh, mule; that old mule.
Get that mule ... singletree.
Oh, mule; oh, mule; oh, mule.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Willy Playboy? / Willy, Poor Boy
From: davidkiddnet
Date: 10 Sep 16 - 05:54 PM

line 5
In one version Mance Lipscom clearly sings, "Went down to the old corn field" so this one is probably "went down get the corn meal ground".