Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey

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"(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey", originally titled "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home" is a popular song published in 1902.

1902 sheet music cover

It is commonly referred to as simply Bill Bailey. Its words and music were written by Hughie Cannon (1877 - 1912), an American songwriter and pianist. It is still a standard with Dixieland and Traditional Jazz bands.

Among the artists who have covered the song are Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Patsy Cline, Bobby Darin, Brenda Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Danny Barker and thousands of others.

Most commonly it is performed in a truncated version based on the chorus. While the chorus is much more familiar than the verse, some artists continue to perform the verse as well, sometimes as an introduction. Without the lyrics of the seldom heard verse, one doesn't know who Bill Bailey is nor why he isn't home. (An unusual approach is Bobby Darin's version, as he added his own spoken word introduction, as an aside to the mythical Bailey). A traditional arrangement of the song, based on Louis Armstrong's 1965 Paris recording, also follows.

1 Lyrics
- 1.1 Original
- 1.2 Traditional
2 Parodies
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Lyrics

[edit] Original

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?

[edit] Traditional

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

[edit] Parodies

The Jewish-American parodist Allan Sherman recorded a parody of this song, entitled Won't You Come Home Disraeli? [1]

In the Miss Solar System episode of The Jetsons, first aired February 3, 1963, Jane belts out Won't You Fly Home Bill Spacely in Hanna-Barbara's own little parody of the song.

Children's performer Tom Chapin recorded a version of this song on his album Some Assembly Required.

In The Simpsons episode entitled Whacking Day, Abe Simpson is featured posing as a female cabaret singer in Nazi Germany, singing this song to Adolf Hitler.

[edit] Trivia

On the Canadian Brass' 1987 album Basin Street, the band is accompanied by actor and banjo player George Segal, who both plays and sings lyrics from the song on the track "Strummin' With George."

In an episode of the British panel game QI, themed around cockney rhyming slang, comedian Bill Bailey (who takes his stage name from the song) was given a special buzzer which, when pressed, played Patsy Cline's version of the song. He appeared to immensely dislike the buzzer, and responded sarcastically, "No-one's ever pointed that out before!" In an episode of the radio series I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Tim Brooke-Taylor sang the song, with Bailey replying to each line.

On Father's Day 2004, Page McConnell's father, Dr. Jack McConnell came out to sing with Phish for Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home. He also tap danced at the end of the song to a roaring applause.