Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home
MinstrelsyTitle
Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home
Date
1902
Genre
Performer
Dan W. Quinn
Writer
Hughie Cannon
Recording Label
Victor
Location
Possibly Philadelphia, PA
Recording Technology
78 rpm record
Description
Dan Quinn had a long stage career. This song, written in 1902, has been recorded many times. The cover image depicts the rascally Bailey and his wife, dressed as a stock “Mammy” character. Bailey is a flashy character in the mold of "Zip Coon," a stock minstrel figure. Quinn sings in imitation of what he takes to be African American speech and describes Mrs. Bailey “bellerin' like a prune-fed calf.” Notice especially how he exaggerates the pitch bends, for example on “backYARD” and “weepin’ HARD starting at 25 seconds. Long, swooping pitch bends were part of the minstrel show’s parody of African American singing styles. As was common in the minstrel show, the song plays her sorrow for laughs. The song has a slight “ragtime” feel.
Lyrics
One one summer's day,
Sun was shinin' fine,
The lady love of old Bill Bailey
Was hangin' clothes on the line
In her back yard,
And weepin' hard.
She married a B&O brakeman
That took and throwed her down,
Bellerin' like a prune-fed calf
With a big gang hanging round
And to that crowd,
She hollered loud:
[Chorus]
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey
Won't you come home?
She moans the whole day long.
I'll do the cookin', darling
I'll pay the rent,
I know I've done you wrong;
'member that rainy eve that
I threw you out,
With nothing but a fine-tooth comb?
I know I'm to blame,
Well, ain't that a shame
Bill Bailey won't you please come home.
Bill drove by that door
In an automobile,
A great big diamond, coach and footman
Hear that lady squeal.
He's all alone
I heard her groan.
She hollered through the door
Bill Bailey, is you sore?
Stop a minute, listen to me
Won't I see you no more?
Bill winks his eye
As he heard her cry
Chorus
Sun was shinin' fine,
The lady love of old Bill Bailey
Was hangin' clothes on the line
In her back yard,
And weepin' hard.
She married a B&O brakeman
That took and throwed her down,
Bellerin' like a prune-fed calf
With a big gang hanging round
And to that crowd,
She hollered loud:
[Chorus]
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey
Won't you come home?
She moans the whole day long.
I'll do the cookin', darling
I'll pay the rent,
I know I've done you wrong;
'member that rainy eve that
I threw you out,
With nothing but a fine-tooth comb?
I know I'm to blame,
Well, ain't that a shame
Bill Bailey won't you please come home.
Bill drove by that door
In an automobile,
A great big diamond, coach and footman
Hear that lady squeal.
He's all alone
I heard her groan.
She hollered through the door
Bill Bailey, is you sore?
Stop a minute, listen to me
Won't I see you no more?
Bill winks his eye
As he heard her cry
Chorus
Type
Minstrelsy
Is Referenced By
Dan Quinn had a long stage career. This song, written in 1902, has been recorded many times. The cover image depicts the rascally Bailey and his wife, dressed as a stock “Mammy” character. Bailey is a flashy character in the mold of "Zip Coon," a stock minstrel figure. Quinn sings in imitation of what he takes to be African American speech and describes Mrs. Bailey “bellerin' like a prune-fed calf.” Notice especially how he exaggerates the pitch bends, for example on “backYARD” and “weepin’ HARD starting at 25 seconds. Long, swooping pitch bends were part of the minstrel show’s parody of African American singing styles. As was common in the minstrel show, the song plays her sorrow for laughs. The song has a slight “ragtime” feel.