Darin was a very special and talented entertainer. He was a Grammy award winning singer ('Mack The Knife'), a respected member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ('Dream Lover', 'Splish Splash', 'If I Were A Carpenter') a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, a successful record producer, an Oscar nominated actor and a strong supporter of the American Heart Association. Bobby was married to actress Sandra Dee from 1960-1967. They had one son, Dodd, born in December 1961. As a result of complications from a rheumatic heart, Bobby's life was tragically cut short in 1973.
Darin's mother, Vanina Cassotto, had given birth to him when she was 16, and as a result, her parents raised Darin as though he were their son while Vanina was presented off as his elder sister. Darin did not learn the truth about his parentage until he was 32.
For more on Bobby Darin, watch "Beyond the Sea," in which Kevin Spacey portrays the entertainer.
Bill Bailey
Bobby Darin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Hey, Bill Bailey, Don't look now but somebody's calling you.
Who? Why, your lady friend, that's who.
If I were you, If I were you, I'd get my little old self home)
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home?
She moans the whole day long.
I'll do the cookin', honey, I'll pay the rent
Do you remember that rainy evenin'
I threw you out with nothin' but a fine tooth co-oo-omb?
Ya, I know I'm to blame, ain't it a shame,
Bailey, won't you please come home.
(A'walk on home, Bill.)
------------
(Ah, like it like that!)
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(Hey, Bailey!, Let's go on home one more time ya'hear?)
Won't cha come home Bill Bailey, won't cha come home?
She moans the whole day loo-oo-ong.
I'll do the cookin' honey, I'll even pay the rent:
I know, I know I done you wroo-oo-ong.
Do you remember that rainy evenin', ah
That I drove you out, with nothin but a fine tooth comb?
(And you are bald!)
I know I'm to blame, well ain't it a shame
Bailey, won't cha please come,
Bailey, won't cha please come,
Bailey, won't cha please come,
Bailey, won't cha please come, ah,
Bailey, won't cha please come,
C'mon,
Baby, won't cha please come,
Yo!,
Baby, won't cha please come,
Baby, won't cha please come,
Baby, won't cha please come,
One - more - time,
Oh, Bailey won't cha please come home.
(get on home.)
The lyrics to Bobby Darin's "Bill Bailey" revolve around a woman begging her estranged partner, Bill Bailey, to come home to her. She is pleading with him to forgive her for past mistakes and try to mend their relationship. The woman promises to do everything in her power to make things right if Bill comes back. This includes cooking for him and paying the rent. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Won't you come home, Bill Bailey" several times, which provides a sense of urgency to the woman's request.
The song also features spoken interludes where an unidentified man encourages Bill Bailey to return home to his lady friend. This man seems to be a mutual friend of the couple and knows that they belong together. He even warns Bailey that his lady friend is calling for him, and he should not ignore her.
Overall, "Bill Bailey" is a timeless song about love, forgiveness, and second chances. It is a classic example of the blues genre and one of Bobby Darin's most iconic tracks.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you come home, Bill Bailey, won't you come home?
The singer wants Bill Bailey to return home
She moans the whole day long.
The singer's lady friend is sad and upset about Bill Bailey being gone
I'll do the cookin', honey, I'll pay the rent
The singer promises to take care of everything if Bill Bailey will come home
I know I done you wrong.
The singer acknowledges their mistake and wants to make up for it
Do you remember that rainy evenin'
I threw you out with nothin' but a fine tooth co-oo-omb?
The singer reminds Bill Bailey of a past argument where they were kicked out
Ya, I know I'm to blame, ain't it a shame,
Bailey, won't you please come home.
The singer takes the blame for the argument and wants to make things right by asking Bill Bailey to come home
Won't cha come home Bill Bailey, won't cha come home?
The singer continues their plea for Bill Bailey to come home
I'll do the cookin' honey, I'll even pay the rent:
I know, I know I done you wroo-oo-ong.
The singer is willing to make amends by taking care of all responsibilities at home
(And you are bald!)
A playful jab at Bill Bailey's appearance
Bailey, won't cha please come,
The singer repeats their request for Bill Bailey to come home
C'mon,
Baby, won't cha please come,
The singer continues their plea to Bill Bailey, adding terms of endearment
One - more - time,
The singer asks for one more plea to Bill Bailey
Oh, Bailey won't cha please come home.
(get on home.)
The song ends with a plea for Bill Bailey to come home and a request for listeners to join in
Contributed by Vivian Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@grady1610
My dad loved this one. He always sang it with a smile. Been over 40 yrs now.......
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1960 {June 7th} Bobby Darin performed "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?" on the NBC-TV program 'The George Burns Show'...
At the time the song was at #43 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; a little under four weeks later on July 4th, 1960 it would peak at #19 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 11 weeks...
The record's B-side, "I'll Be There", also made the Top 100; it reached #79 on the chart...
Between 1958 and 1973 he had forty Top 100 records; ten made the Top 10 with one reaching #1, "Mack the Knife" for 9 weeks in 1959...
He just missed having a second #1 record when "Dream Lover" peaked at #2* {for 1 week} in 1959...
Mr. Darin, born Walden Robert Cassotto, passed away on December 20th, 1973 at the young age of 37...
May he R.I.P.
* The week "Dream Love" it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "The Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton...
@WytZox1
Years later George Burns guested on Bobby Darin's prime time variety hour. Sadly not long after that Bobby tragically died too young. A great talent we lost much too soon! ♣
@beckyzaugg8513
What talent!
( i think „ Mack the knife“ was his masterpiece .
@timmyb58
Simply put, "The Master."
@1uptospeed
as bobby said i like it like that!
@benjaminscott9162
I came here from listening to this song on The Hallmark Movie Surprised By Love.
@felicitysmibert3409
The Earl of Mustard sang and danced this as a busker London 1969 look it up. Fabulous
@mcdadypete
I just found this in 45
@sweetvioletstar
The Last Unicorn brought me here!;D