Billy Grimes The Rover

Recordings

The Shelor Family, 193?
The Grail Singers Sing Folk Songs from..., The Grail Singers, 1959
The New Lost City Ramblers, Vol. 4, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1962
Old Timey Music, The New Lost City Ramblers, 1964
Goin' Down the Valley: Vocal and Instrumental Music From the South, Various Artists (The Shelor Family), 1977
Mothers and Daughters, Bridget Ball, 1989
The Bristol Sessions, Various Artists (The Shelor Family), 1991
On a Cold Winter Night, Tom Paley with Ben Paley, 1993
Times Ain't Like They Used To Be: Early American Rural Music, Vol. 2, Various Artists (The Shelor Family), 1997
If You Ain't Got The Do-Re-Mi, Various Artists (New Lost City Ramblers), 2007

Notes

Played by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers in San Carlos on June 11th 1962.

The lyrics of the version performed by the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers are as follows;

Tomorrow morn I'll be sixteen,
And Billy Grimes the rover,
Has popped the question to me, ma,
Wants to be my lover.

And he'll be here in the morning, ma,
He'll be here quite early,
Take a pleasant walk with him,
Across the fields of barley.

Oh daughter dear you shall not go,
There is no use a'talkin',
You shall not go with Billy Grimes,
Across the fields a'walkin'.

Imagine such presumption too,
The dirty, ugly rover,
I wonder where your pride has gone,
To think of such a lover.

Oh mama dear I must confess,
That Billy is quite clever,
With an ounce of gold we'd not be found,
In this wide world all over.

Oh daughter dear I am surprised,
At this infatuation,
Think of having Billy Grimes,
It would be ruination.

Oh mama dear old Grimes is dead,
And Billy is the only
Surviving heir of all that's left,
About six thousand yearly.

Oh daughter dear I did not hear,
Your last remark quite clearly,
Billy is a nice young lad,
And no doubt loves you dearly.