Billy Butterfield was a trumpet sideman with all the great big bands at one… Read Full Bio ↴Billy Butterfield was a trumpet sideman with all the great big bands at one time or another. His smooth, clear tones were employed by Columbia Records in their session bands, in concert with the likes of Ray Conniff. His greatest fame came from a couple of albums he did as the featured performer with Ray Conniff (Conniff Meets Butterfield was one).

I met him one night while I lived in the West Palm Beach, Florida area. I was at the bar at a popular night spot in old Palm Beach called Chuck and Harold's. They featured a sidewalk-side eating area and a black and white checkered terrazzo floor that went past an elegant bar that led to an open-air dancing floor. Booths were arranged around the dancefloor and the richest of the rich drank their martinis and swooned to the music of a full orchestra. And there he was, Billy Butterfield, at the end of his career but still playing a number or two as the featured entertainer with the house orchestra. He thanked me for his drink, played "Rosalie", from the Conniff album and then sort of disappeared, as though he only a few of these songs left in him. But he was as great as Al Hirt, Bobby Hackett and Doc Severenson, all rolled into one. Catch him on Conniff Meets Butterfield, you won't be sorry.

Oh! Lady Be Good
Billy Butterfield Lyrics

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Listen to my tale of woe,
It's terribly sad but true,
All dressed up, no place to go
Each evening I'm awfully blue.

I must win some handsome guy
Can't go on like this,
I could blossom out I know,

With somebody just like you. So

Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh, lady, be good to me
I am so awfully misunderstood
So lady, be good to me
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all-alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.

Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,

So lady be good to me.
Oh lady be good to me.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Billy Butterfield's song "Oh! Lady Be Good" convey a sense of loneliness and longing for companionship. The singer is telling the listener about their sad situation of being all dressed up with nowhere to go and feeling blue every night. They express the desire to find a handsome man who will understand them and help them blossom. The plea to "Oh sweet and lovely lady, be good" is directed towards this ideal man, and the singer implores for them to have some pity on their lonesome state and be good to them.

The lyrics of the song are simple but effective in their message. They evoke a sense of empathy from the listener towards the singer and their plight. The 'babe in the wood' metaphor adds to the pathetic feeling of the singer, as they are lost and alone in the big city. The song can be interpreted in various ways, but the central idea of needing companionship to get through life's hardships is universal.

Oh! Lady Be GoodBilly Butterfield Lyrics

Michael Sammin

MrJimmienoone

Oh! Lady Be Good
Billy Butterfield Lyrics