Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey Article Index for
Won't
Shopping
Wont
Website Links For
You
 

Information About

Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey





SONG LYRIC

"Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home"

Words and Music by Hughie Cannon

:Verse 1: On one summer's day, the sun was shining fine.
:The lady love of old Bill Bailey was hanging clothes on the line
:In her back yard, and weeping hard.
:She married a B & O brakeman that took and throw'd her down.
:Bellering like a prune-fed calf with a big gang hanging 'round;
:And to that crowd she yelled out loud.

:Chorus: Won't you come home Bill Bailey, won't you come home?
:She moans the whole day long.
:I'll do the cooking darling, I'll pay the rent;
:I knows I've done you wrong;
:Member that rainy eve that I drove you out,
:With nothing but a fine tooth comb?
:I know I'se to blame; well ain't that a shame?
:Bill Bailey won't you please come home?

:Verse 2: Bill drove by that door in an automobile,
:A great big diamond coach and footman, hear that big wench squeal;
:"He's all alone," I heard her groan.
:She hollered through that door, "Bill Bailey is you sore?
:Stop a minute; won't you listen to me? Won't I see you no more?"
:Bill winked his eye, as he heard her cry:

:Chorus: Won't you come home Bill Bailey, won't you come home?
:She moans the whole day long.
:I'll do the cooking darling, I'll pay the rent;
:I knows I've done you wrong;
:Member that rainy eve that I drove you out,
:With nothing but a fine tooth comb?
:I know I'se to blame; well ain't that a shame?
:Bill Bailey won't you please come home?

Among the artists who have covered the song are Louis Armstrong , Patsy Cline , Bobby Darin , and Ella Fitzgerald , typically in a truncated version based on the chorus. (Darrin's version added his own spoken word introduction, as an aside to the mythical Bailey). A traditional arrangment of the song, based on Louis Armstrong's 1965 Paris recording, follows:


TRADITIONAL ARRANGEMENT


"(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey"

:Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home
:I've moaned the whole night long
:I'll do the cookin', honey, I'll pay the rent
:I know I done you wrong

:You remember that rainy evenin'
:I threw you out....with nothin' but a fine tooth comb
:Ya, I know I'm to blame, now... ain't it a shame
:Bill Bailey, won't you please come home

:Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come on home
:I've moaned that whole day long
:I'll do all the cookin' honey, I'll even pay the rent
:I know, that I have done you, oh so, wrong

:You remember that rainy evenin'
:I throwed you out, with nothin but a fine tooth comb
:I know I'm to blame, now... ain't it a shame
:So baby, won't you please come

:I said now, won't you please come

:Bill Bailey, won't you please.... come on home


EXTERNAL LINKS


Full lyric:

http://www.perfessorbill.com/lyrics/lybailey.htm

Traditional arragement (from the "Historic American Sheet Music" site):

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/n/n09/n0971/