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Billy Dont Be A Hero

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Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

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:      
DmThe marchin' band came G7down along main street,
Cthe soldier blues fell Cmaj7in behind.
DmI looked across and G7there I saw Billy,
Cwaiting to go and Cmaj7join the line,
Dmand with her head uG7pon his shoulder
Dmhis young and lovely G7fiancée.
DmFrom where I stood I G7saw she was cryin',
Dmand through her Ftears I G7heard her say :
Chorus: 
CBilly, don't be a Cmaj7hero, don't be a Dmfool with your life !
Dm7Billy, don't be a G7hero, come back and Cmake me your wife !
CAnd as Billy started to C7go, she said, Fkeep your pretty head Fmlow,
CBilly, don't be Dmhero, Gcome back to Cme !
Verse 2:     
DmThe soldier blues were G7trapped on a hillside,
Cthe battle raging Cmaj7all around,
Dmthe sergeant cried, “We've G7got to hang on boys!
CWe've got to hold this Cmaj7piece of ground !
DmI need a volunG7teer to ride up,
Dmand bring us back some G7extra men.”
DmAnd Billy's hand was G7up in a moment
DmForgettin' Fall the G7words she said...
(orig. moves up half a note to capo 1st here)
She said : G  
Chorus: 
CBilly, don't be a Cmaj7hero, don't be a Dmfool with your life !
Dm7Billy, don't be a G7hero, come back and Cmake me your wife !
CAnd as Billy started to C7go, she said, Fkeep your pretty head Fmlow,
CBilly, don't be Dmhero, Gcome back to Cme !
DmI heard his fiancG7ee got a letter
CThat told how Billy Cmaj7died that day
DmThe letter said that G7he was a hero
CShe should be proud he Cmaj7died that way
DmI heard she threw the Gletter aCway
whistling
 C-  Cmaj7-  Dm-  Dm7-  G7- C  
and so on

All chords in this song (9)

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Billy Dont Be A Hero

by Paper Lace

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Cmaj7

Dm7

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)

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

About Billy Dont Be A Hero Chords by Paper Lace

Learn how to play Billy Dont Be A Hero by Paper Lace with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Billy Dont Be A Hero chords”, “Billy Dont Be A Hero guitar chords”, or “Paper Lace Billy Dont Be A Hero chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Billy Dont Be A Hero chords and for experienced players who want accurate Billy Dont Be A Hero lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, Cmaj7, Dm, G, G7, F.

FAQ — Billy Dont Be A Hero by Paper Lace

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What key is "Billy Dont Be A Hero" in?

The chords for "Billy Dont Be A Hero" show the original chord names (including C, Cmaj7, Dm, G, G7, F). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.