lyr req: Willy Poor Boy,Willy play boy

27 Jan 12 - 06:42 AM (#3297098)
Subject: lyr.req. Willy Poor Boy,Willy play boy
From: Tigger the Tiger

It's play then oh Willy Poor Boy,
and Why don't you play?
For the one that I love so dearly,
has gone square back on Me.

I heard this originally as Willy play boy as an autoharp song. Anyone know origin or lyrics?

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27 Jan 12 - 06:55 AM (#3297107)
Subject: ADD: Willy Poor Boy
From: Joe Offer

Here's the New Lost City Ramblers version, from their Volume Three album. You'll find the exact same lyrics in the Old-Time String Band Songbook by Cohen/Seeger/Wood (The New Lost City Ramblers). Kathy Kallick has a nice recording of this on her My Mother's Voice album, using the same lyrics.

SIDE I, Band 7

WILLY POOR BOY
from Roy Harvey and Posey Rorer Col. 15714

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

CHORUS :
And it's play then Willy, 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 if she loved me
She said she loved me some
Then she threw her arms all around me
Like the bees all around a gum.
(CHORUS)

Sometimes I live in the country,
Sometimes I live in the town,
Sometimes I take a great notion
Jump into that river and drown.
(CHORUS)

Note the verse shared with "Goodnight, Irene"

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Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Willy, Poor Boy

DESCRIPTION: Floating verses, utterly unconnected. "The train was almost started/The conductor come by with his lamp...." "I asked her if she loved me/She said she loved me some...." "Sometimes I live in the country, sometimes I live in town...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (recording, Roy Harvey & Jess Johnston)
KEYWORDS: railroading love hardheartedness loneliness poverty courting floatingverses lover train death drowning suicide gambling hobo
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 112, "Willy, Poor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Roy Harvey & Jess Johnston (or Roy Harvey & the North Carolina Ramblers) "No Room for a Tramp" (Champion 16187, 1931; on TimesAint05)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Willy, Poor Boy" (on NLCR03)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Goodnight, Irene" (words)
cf. "Sometimes I'm in This Country" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Don't Get Trouble in Your Mind" (floating verses)
cf. "Little Maud" (floating verses, some similarity in the tune)
NOTES: This song is almost impossible to describe; it is so disjointed as to be meaningless. - PJS
In fact it seems to consist entirely of lines borrowed from other songs. But it borrows from so MANY other songs that it has to file under its own name.... - RBW
Note that the "Sometimes I live in the country/Sometimes I live in town/Sometimes I take a fool notion/To jump in the river and drown" verse in this song predates the first recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene," with which the verse is usually associated, by two years. - PJS
File: CSW112

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27 Jan 12 - 07:26 AM (#3297119)
Subject: ADD: No Room for a Tramp
From: Joe Offer

Here are the lyrics from the Roy Harvey recording (about 1929 or 1930), almost the same as the New Lost City Ramblers version:

NO ROOM FOR A TRAMP
(Roy Harvey)

The train was almost started
The conductor came 'round with his lamp;
And he whispered to me so kindly
'There's no room in here for a tramp.'

CHORUS :
Then it's play Willy, 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 if she loved me
She said she loved me some
Then she threw her arms all around me
Like the bees all around a gum.
(CHORUS)

Sometimes I live in the country,
Sometimes I live in town,
Sometimes I take a fool notion
To jump in the river and drown.
(CHORUS)

Where is my pocketbook and money?
Where is my gold watch and chain?
If you wait just a little while I'll tell you,
That I lost it in a little poker game.
(CHORUS)


from Roy Harvey: Complete recorded works in chronological order, Volume 3, 1929-1930 (Document Records DOCD-8052, on Spotify)

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27 Jan 12 - 08:06 AM (#3297133)
Subject: RE: lyr req: Willy Poor Boy,Willy play boy
From: Tigger the Tiger

Great. Thanks for the information.

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03 Dec 12 - 06:43 PM (#3446403)
Subject: RE: lyr req: Willy Poor Boy,Willy play boy
From: BK Lick

Joe wrote

Kathy Kallick has a nice recording of this on her My Mother's Voice album, using the same lyrics.

There are a few subtle differences in Kathy's version which you can hear in the sample offered here, but she switches gender in the second verse:

Now he asked me if I loved him
And I said I loved him some
And then he throwed his arms all around me
Like the bees all around the gum

That sample has some gorgeous fingerpicking and harmonica playing by Jim Nunally and Norton Buffalo, by the way.

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