Words By Peter Callander
Music by Mitch Murray
Intro :
C Cmaj7 C Cmaj7 C Cmaj7
whistling
C - Cmaj7 - Dm - G - G7 - C
riff 1:
v v v v v
----------------|----
----------------|----
----------------|----
----------------|----
--------3-2-3-4-|5---
------3---------|----
Verse 1:
Dm G7
The marchin' band came down along main street,
C Cmaj7
the soldier blues fell in behind.
Dm G7
I looked across and there I saw Billy,
C Cmaj7
waiting to go and join the line,
Dm G7
and with her head upon his shoulder
Dm G7
his young and lovely fiancée.
Dm G7
From where I stood I saw she was cryin',
Dm F G7
and through her tears I heard her say :
Chorus:
C Cmaj7 Dm
Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life !
Dm7 G7 C
Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife !
C C7 F Fm
And as Billy started to go, she said, keep your pretty head low,
C Dm G C
Billy, don't be hero, come back to me !
Verse 2:
Dm G7
The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside,
C Cmaj7
the battle raging all around,
Dm G7
the sergeant cried, “We've got to hang on boys!
C Cmaj7
We've got to hold this piece of ground !
Dm G7
I need a volunteer to ride up,
Dm G7
and bring us back some extra men.”
Dm G7
And Billy's hand was up in a moment
Dm F G7
Forgettin' all the words she said...
(orig. moves up half a note to capo 1st here)
G
She said :
Chorus:
C Cmaj7 Dm
Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life !
Dm7 G7 C
Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife !
C C7 F Fm
And as Billy started to go, she said, keep your pretty head low,
C Dm G C
Billy, don't be hero, come back to me !
Dm G7
I heard his fiancee got a letter
C Cmaj7
That told how Billy died that day
Dm G7
The letter said that he was a hero
C Cmaj7
She should be proud he died that way
Dm G C
I heard she threw the letter away
whistling
C - Cmaj7 - Dm - Dm7 - G7 - C
and so on