Billy, Don't Be A Hero Lyrics
Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods
Lyrics
Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods
Best Of Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods
Billy Don't Be A Hero
The marching band came down along Main Street
The soldier blues fell in behind
From where I stood, there I saw Billy
Waiting to go and join the line.
And with her head upon his shoulder
His young and lovely fiancée
From where I stood I saw she was crying
And through her tears I heard her say
Chorus:
"Billy don't be a hero
Don't be a fool with your life.
Billy don't be a hero
Come back and make me your wife"
And as they started to go
She said "keep your pretty head low"
"Billy don't be a hero, come back to me."
The soldier blues are trapped on a hillside
The battle raging all around.
The sergeant cried we've got to hang on boys
We've got to hold this piece of ground.
I need a volunteer to ride up
And bring us back some extra men
And Billy's hand was up in a moment
Forgetting all the words she said.
She said
Chorus
I heard his fiancée got a letter
That told how Billy died that day
The letter said that he was a hero
She should be proud he died that way.
I heard she threw the letter
Away.
Chorus
Song & Lyrics Facts
"Billy, Don't Be a Hero" is a 1974 song by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. It was released as a single on the Hickory Records label in May 1974 and became their biggest hit, peaking at number one on both the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Canadian RPM Singles Chart. The song was written by Peter Callander and Mitch Murray with lyrics that tell of a young man enlisting to fight in a war only to be killed in battle. Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods were an American pop band from Cincinnati, Ohio. Formed in 1969, they consisted of lead vocalist Bo Donaldson, guitarists Gary Beach and Mike Klenfner, bassist Tom Ryan, drummer Bill Deaton and keyboardist Steve Smith. They are best known for their hits "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" (1974) and "Who Do You Think You Are" (1975). Both songs were co-written by lyricists Peter Callander and Mitch Murray and featured on their album Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods, released in 1974. The lyrics of "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" still resonate today and speak to the impact of war.