Billy Boy

Subject: Billy Boy
From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle
Date: 17 Jul 20 - 11:52 PM

A friend came round to see me and brought his daughterwho has learning difficulties. her name was Nancy. So naturally when they asked me to play some music, I thought of the Nacy songs I knew.

First thing thay occurred to me was Calton Weaver (Nancy Whisky).,, and the Billy Boy, with refrain Oh me Nancy tickles me fancy oh! Me Darling Billy Boy.

Tonight I thought I'd post youtubes of Sinatra (Nacy with the laughing face), Calton Weaver and Billy Boy.

I was shocked to find only one version of the Nancy tickles me fancy variant. And that was by Alan Price with the lyrics concealed behind a loud noisy band.

Theres a lot of cobblers about dredging up songs that are totally unmemorable and our duty to preserve them. How can we let cornerstones of our national repertoire disappear like this?

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Reinhard
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 01:10 AM

Another Nancy song: Gosport Nancy, she's my fancy

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Reinhard
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 01:37 AM

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer's Billy Boy / Nancy's Fancy has the refrain “She's my Nancy, please, my fancy, and I'm her darling Billy boy.”

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 01:57 AM

our local garda, now dead, was called billy. one of theones concerned in the Bailey travesty, Whenever i saw the prock sitting in his car on duty i sang a rude version of the song

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:07 AM

Probablly one of the most beautiful tunes in the English repertoire - Nancy of Lonon

It's Nancy of London, from the fair England Stream
She was courted by Wiliam, who sailed for the Queen,
She was courted by William a long time ago
He's on the sea, sailing, where the stormy winds blow

Well worth looking out
Jim

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:09 AM

Billy Boy is a version of 'Lord Randal' - the gil gets fed up with her lover and poisons him
Probably best not to mention that
Jim

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Reinhard
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:24 AM

Bob Davenport, Billy Boy on the Topic album Farewell Nancy / Blow the Man Down has the refrain "And my Nancy tickled my fancy, oh my charming Billy Boy."

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Reinhard
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:27 AM

And A.L. Lloyd noted on the Farewell Nancy album: " On account of its opening line, some learned men have associated Billy Boy with Lord Randall. The evidence is slender."

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 02:51 AM

Bob Davenport correctly sang, ' and me Nancy kittled me fancy '

Dave H

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 08:50 AM

The Northumbrian 'Billy Boy' allegedly used as a chanty does indeed owe much of its popularity and fame to its being endlessly anthologised, but it obviously derives from the Scottish variations, one of which was crystallised by Hector McNeill c1791 though it's highly unlikely he wrote the original. Having said that, the song was widely spread in England by the first half of the 19th century, as Halliwell recorded versions from Yorkshire and Suffolk (notably East Coast-Scottish influence) and of course the song was widely spread in America at an early stage.

Terry's The Shanty Book seems to be the source of the well anthologised Northumbrian version repeated in Hugill and featured in school songbooks.

Reinhard, the evidence is non-existent, never mind slender.

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 09:05 AM

Apart from the early Scottish versions in the likes of Herd (1769)
'The Lammy' there are other widely different versions from just a little later which are closer to the Chanty version, all with a Scottish connection.

1776 Aberdeen Broadside has
'My Son Johnny O'
Who came home with you last night
My son Johnny O
Who came home with you last night
M s J o
Who came etc.
With the light of the moon?
O it was a young thing
New come from her mammy O

has 12 stanzas (out of a stock of 25)

The Harris Collection c1800 has
'Can you row the boat ashore?'

Where have you been all day--Billy Boy
Up among the meadows high kissing the ladies gay:
Where my Nancy pleased my fancy
Oh! my darling Billy Boy.   (8 stanzas)

Thomas Lyle's rewritten version from his 'Ancient Ballads and Songs 1827

Man the boat, all hands aboard, Billy Boy, Billy Boy
Man the signal, hands aboard, Billy Boy
Each moving thrilling word,
As I steered from my adored,
Lovely Nancy, says thy fancy, lingers round my darling boy

(5 stanzas) which may derive from or have influenced the Northumbrian song.

Subject: RE: Billy Boy
From: leeneia
Date: 18 Jul 20 - 12:53 PM

Gilbert and Sullivan's 'A Wandr'ing Minstrel, I"

To lay aloft in a howling breeze
may tickle a landsman's taste,
but the happiest hour that a sailor sees
is when he's down at an inland town
with his Nancy on his knee.
Yo ho!
And his arm around her waist.

This is a great song to sing while washing the dishes.

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'Pleasant and Delightful' also has a Nancy in it.