BILLY-A-DICK
(Hoagy Carmichael (m) / Paul Francis Webster (l) 1945)

Bette Midler 1991

Contained in the 1991 color film ‘For The Boys’
Director: Mark Rydell
Leads: Better Midler / James Caan / George Segal

Also sung by:
Shona Allen
Klea Blackhurst
Pete Jacobs
Hoagy Carmichael
Isabel Santol
Christian Steiner
Serenity Stewart



Every night while I'm undressin'
Sayin' my prayers and lightly confessin'
I can hear hot licks
From a set of drums upstairs.

Well it couldn't be Johnny 'cause he isn't there
Johnny's overseas, we know not where
But believe it or not, every night on the dot
I can hear a tenor drum say.

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back
When's that kid in the G.I. lid
Gonna choo-choo down the track.

Poor ol' me, I'm beat as can be
And my rim has even started to rust
Look at these sticks tryin' to take out the licks
They're covered with an inch of dust, beep-a-dust.

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack.

If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick;
Chew, chew, chewin' on a gumstick.
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack.

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack.

If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick
Chew, chew, chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japanese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack.

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back, Mom.



(Transcribed by David Story - October 2013)