Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)

from 1924 by Jared Emerson-Johnson's One-Man Skeleton Revival

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about

Music by Milton Ager, words by Jack Yellen.

It was an immediate hit and was recorded and released by several artists in 1924, including Ernest Hare, Billy Murray, and Clementine Smith.

lyrics

In the town of Louisville
They got a man they call Big Bad Bill.
I want to tell ya, he sure was tough,
Oh brother, he could strut that stuff!

He had folks scared to death;
When he walked by they held their breath.
He was a fighting man, sure enough.
Bill took himself a wife, now he leads a different life.

Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now.
Married life done changed him somehow.
He's the man they all used to fear,
But now they're callin' him sweet papa Willie dear.
Stronger than Samson I declare,
'Til the high-hat Delilah went and bobbed his hair.

Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore.
He's washin' dishes, and he mops up the floor.
Well he used to go out drinkin', looking for a fight,
Now he's got to see his mama nearly every night.
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now!

Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now.
Married life's done changed him somehow.
He's the man they all used to fear,
But now they're callin' him sweet papa Willie dear.
Stronger than Samson I declare,
'Til the high-hat Delilah went and bobbed his hair.

Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore.
He's washin' dishes, and then he mops up the floor.
He used go out drinkin' looking for a fight,
Now he's got to see his pretty mama every night.
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now!

credits

from 1924, released December 23, 2022

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Jared Emerson-Johnson's One-Man Skeleton Revival image

Jared Emerson-Johnson's One-Man Skeleton Revival San Francisco, California

Born out of pandemic lockdown madness, Jared Emerson-Johnson's One-Man Skeleton Revival began as an experiment in jug band overdubbing that blossomed into an album celebrating some of the best tunes written, recorded, and/or published in 1924. Originally intended as a personal project for friends and family, the end result came out well enough to deserve a public release...maybe. ... more

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