When Old Bill Bailey Plays the Ukalele
Key: C

Music and Lyrics by Chas McCarron and Nat Vincent
Copyright 1915

Chords and lyrics provided by Judy Muldawer
For Educational Purposes Only
Visit banjojudy.com for additional Songs

File created 12/14/2017
File Updated 12/03/2023

Verse 1:

C
In Hono-G7lulu town
C           G7
A man known miles around
E7                Am
Has turned things upside down
     D7                G7
They call him Old Bill Bailey

C           G7
Bill Bailey won his fame
E7               Am
With his old gui-tar
D7      G
Ukulele is its name
D7             G7
In that land a far

    G7         Gdim   G7
The ships ‘way out at sea
    G7       Gdim G7G7+5
Can hear his melo-dy

Chorus:

     C        G7     C
When Old Bill Bailey plays
               
the uka-G7lele
C                        C
Down in Hono-G7lula they do
          G7
the "Hula Hula"
E7            Am
Ev'ry evening there they are,
D7                                G7
Swayin' while he's playin' his Ha-waiian guitar

    C       G7     C            G7
The ragtime motion even has the ocean
C       Dm     E7
Bobbin' up and down,
     F       Dm         F       Dm
Some times a whale gets feeling flip
C        Gm7              Gdim   A7
Wags his tail and sinks a battle ship

     C        G7     C
When Old Bill Bailey plays
        G7
the uka-lele
C            G7   C
Down in Hono-lulu town.

Verse 2:

C           G7
Some suffra-gettes went down,
C       G7
to Hono-lulu town
E7          Am
Among those gals of brown
     D7                G7
They tried a “Suffrage Movement”

C            G7
The meetings that they held
E7           Am
Never lasted long
D7              G
Old Bill Bailey broke them up
D7               G7
When he played a song,

        G7       Gdim       G7
Why for suffrage they don’t care
        G7     Gdim       G7     G7+5
There’s other “movements” there.

Chorus Repeat:

C


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