Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)

About Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)

This article is about the 1924 Yellen / Ager song, not the "Big Bad Bill" song recorded by Spike Jones"Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" is a song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen, written in 1924. The song became a vocal hit for Margaret Young accompanied by Rube Bloom, and an instrumental hit for the Don Clark Orchestra. The song has also been recorded by Ernest Hare (1924), Billy Murray (1924), Clementine Smith (1924), Emmett Miller (1929), Glen Gray & the Casa Loma Orchestra (1940), Peggy Lee (1962), Merle Haggard (1973), Ry Cooder (1978), Leon Redbone (1978), Van Halen (1982) and others and has been a popular song in barbershop quartet and chorus competitions. The lyrics describe a man "in the town of Louisville..." who was once a fearsome and rough character known for getting into fights, who, after getting married, becomes a peaceable person who devotes his time to domestic activities such as washing dishes and mopping the floor. more »

Year:

1973

2:50

122 Views

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In the town of Louisville
They got a man called Big Bad Bill
I want to tell you he sure was tough
Yeah, all folks scared to death

When he walked by they held their breath
He was a mighty man sure enough
Now Bill took himself a wife
Now he's a different guy

Big Bad Bill is sweet William now
Married life has changed him somehow
Yet he's not the man they used to fear
Now the people call him, sweet Papa Willie dear

Stronger than Sampson I'll declare
And he's bound in mama comb his hair
Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore
Wash his dishes and he might sweep the floor

Yeah, he used to spend his evenings a lookin' for a fight
But now he gotta see his Mama every night

'Cause Big Bad Bill is sweet William now
Yeah, he used to spend his evenings a lookin' for a fight
But now he gotta see his Mama every night

 Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer

Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard (born April 6, 1937) is an American country music song writer, singer, guitarist, fiddler and instrumentalist. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster and the unique mix with the traditional country steel guitar sound, new vocal harmony styles in which the words are minimal, and a rough edge not heard on the more polished Nashville Sound recordings of the same era. more »

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