{"id":7806,"date":"2020-12-22T10:57:48","date_gmt":"2020-12-22T10:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=7806"},"modified":"2024-03-16T09:00:11","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T09:00:11","slug":"billy-orourke","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/billy-orourke\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy O’Rourke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Billy O’Rouke
Billy O’Rook’s The Boy Sir
and similar variations<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1790s<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writer\/composer<\/td>unknown<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN2101<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Sam Collins<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Newton, John 1904 England : Yorkshire Bay
Calder, Rev John 1906 Scotland
Spence, William 1909 Scotland
Robertson, Miss Bell 1909 Scotland
Lohrberg, Mrs. Carrie 1946 USA : Illinois
Overson, Mrs. Mabel I. 1948 USA : Utah
Weare, Henry W. 1954 USA : Arkansas<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
The Quaver or Songsters Pocket Companion (1844)<\/strong>\n\nI greased my brogues and cut my stick,\nAt the latter end of May, sir,\nAnd off for England I set out,\nTo sail upon the sea, sir.\nThen next to London I set out \nTo cut the hay and corn, sir\nTo leave old Ireland far behind\nThe place where I was born, sir\n \nWith my shillimacroo\nAnd my heart more true,\nFor Billy O'Rourke is the boy, sir!<\/em>\n\nI gave the captain six thirteens,\nTo carry me over to Pargate,\nBefore we got over half the waves,\nIt blew at a hell of a hard rate.\nThe big stick that grew out of the ship,\nBegan to roar and whistle,\nAnd the sailors all, both great and small,\nCries Pat you will go to the devil.\n \nSome fell on their bended knees,\nThe ladies fell a-fainting,\nBut I fell to my bread and cheese,\nFor I always mind the main thing.\nSays the sailors: \"To the bottom you go!\"\nSays I: 'We don't care a farthing;\nFor I paid my passage to Pargate, you know,\nAnd, damn'd but you'll stick to your bargain,\"\n \nThe wind did whistle some to sleep,\nTill we came to the place of landing,\nAnd those that were the most afraid\nThe ladies out were handing.\nSays I, Your clothes feel mighty droll\nAnd you surely must have riches,\nand for your heart it don't let in the right part,\nIt surely must lay in your breeches.\n\nThen for London I set out,\nAnd going along the road, sir\nI met an honest gentleman\nWho proved to be a rogue, sir\nHe cock'd a pistol to my breast,\nClose to my very mouth, sir\nSaying, Paddy my boy, I'd have ye be smart, \nIn handing out your money, sir.\n\nO, patience, honest gentleman, \nAnd hear me speak a word, sir, \nFor twopence is all the money I've got, \nTo carry me many a mile, sir. \nHe said he would no longer wait, \nHis patience I had fairly tir'd; \nHis pan it flash'd, his brains I smashed \nWith my shillelagh that never miss'd fire<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song sung most famously in the Music Halls from the 1840s on by Sam Collins<\/a>, as ever drawing humour from Irish stereotypes. It seems to come from the time before the Halls, though I have been unable to find a precise date or author. It may be related to a song of the same title and a similar structure  which appeared in The Wicklow Mountains<\/em> a comic opera by John O’Keeffe (1794), though the song may be slightly older than this. The name “Billy O’Rourke”<\/em> seems to have been used as a standard name for an Irish character in a number of theatrical productions in the late 18th and early 19th century which may explain why other songs about Billy are also in circulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s been collected from a wide range of source singers, and was also printed widely, in many substantially different versions, throughout the 19th century. The version I’ve reproduced above is from 1844, about the time that Sam Collins might have started singing it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
You can hear Henry Weare sing it in the Ozark folk song collection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n