Tell Old Bill

DESCRIPTION: "Tell old Bill, when he leaves home this morning, Tell old Bill, when he leaves home this evening, Tell old Bill... To let them downtown coons alone...." (An hour after) Bill left he is dead/murdered and being brought home in a "hurry-up wagon"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag)
KEYWORDS: death whore homicide
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, pp. 18-19, "Dis Mornin', Dis Evenin', So Soon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Shay-BarroomBallads/PiousFriendsDrunkenCompanions, pp. 200-201, "Dis Mornin', Dis Evenin', So Soon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-AmericanBalladsAndFolkSongs, pp. 100-102, "Old Bill" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 78, "Tell Old Bill" (1 text)
DT, OLDBILL*
Roud #7876
RECORDINGS:
Milton Brown & His Brownies, "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" (Bluebird B-5610, 1934)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ain't No Use Workin' So Hard" (structure, refrain)
File: San018

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography