Billy Grimes the Drover, Lyric Variant 04

This item is part of the I. G. Greer Folksong Collection which consists of more than 300 individual song titles and their variants as collected by Isaac Garfield Greer (1881-1967) from informants, primarily in Ashe, Wilkes and Watauga counties. The collection includes manuscripts, typescript transcriptions produced by Dr. Greer’s clerical staff, and handwritten musical notations. Songs range from traditional Child Ballads, traditional English and Scottish ballads as well as their American variants, to 19th century popular music to musical compositions of local origin.

Ballads, English

Courtship--Songs and music

Avarice--Songs and music

Billy Grimes

AC.113 Isaac Garfield (I.G.) Greer Papers and Recordings

W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University

Greer, I. G. (Isaac Garfield), 1881-1967

PDF

English

Text

Billy Grimes, the Drover

“To-morrow morn I'm sweet sixteen, and Billy Grimes, the rover,
Has popped the question to me Ma, and wants to be my lover,
To-morrow morn, he says, Mamma, he's coming bright and early,
To take a pleasant trip with me across the fields of Barley”.

“You must not go, my daughter, dear, it is no use a-talking,
You cannot go across the field with Billy Grimes a walking.
To think of his presumption now, the dirty, ugly drover!
I wonder where your pride has gone to think of such a lover.”

“Old Grimes is dead, you know, Mamma, and Billy is so lonely,
Besides, they say, too, Grimes has said, that Billy is the only.
So he'll be heir to all he's left, and that they say is nearly
A good ten thousand dollars worth, and about six hundred yearly."

“I did not hear, my daughter dear, your last remarks quite clearly.
But Billy is a clever lad, and no doubt loves you dearly.
Be ready then tomorrow morn and be up bright and early,
To take a pleasant walk with him across the fields of Barley.”

Brown, Older Ballads - Mostly British - 193

113_BillyGrimesTheDrover_Lyric_04