Commonwealth of Australia | Little Billy Hughes

Little Billy Hughes, is a song about Australia's 7th Prime Minister who is famous for being the Prime Minister serving during World War I.

This song was played during 1916-1918 and had its lyrics written by Claude McKay and composed by Andrew MacCunn. It was first sung by the female singer, Connie Ediss and Arthur Reynolds.

Lyrics:

There's a little pocket statesman
His name is Billy Hughes
His speeches in the papers
Are crowding out the news
And the whole world listens to him
Especially the Hun
For Billy's on the war-path
And he's only just begun
He's the idol of the Allies
He's fighting German trade
He hits out from the shoulder
And he calls a spade a spade
And King George is so delighted
He sends him "Billy Doos"
Saying, "Come and stop at Windsor with me,
Little Billy Hughes"

Oh! The man Australia's proud of
Is little Billy Hughes
We love to read his speeches
And listen to his views
And what Billy asks old England
We know she won't refuse
For all Australia's right behind
Our little Billy Hughes

Billy's shaken up old England
He's stirred up things a treat
They've loaded him with honours
They've dined him on the Fleet!
And for Freedom of their cities
He freely gives them speech
He tells them just to strangle
All the German trade in reach
And he says the British Empire's
For Britons and their friends
The Germans and their cheap goods
To Hades, Billy sends
"Our chance is now or never
The day has come to choose
If Britain's still to boss the world!"
Says little Billy Hughes

Oh! The man Australia's proud of
Is little Billy Hughes
We love to read his speeches
And listen to his views
And what Billy asks old England
We know she won't refuse
For all Australia's right behind
Our little Billy Hughes

And if Billy'd been in Ireland
There'd be no Irish stews
At least, that's our opinion of
Our little Billy Hughes
And at all official banquets
And other big shivoos
They gave King George a seat beside
Our little Billy Hughes
He has painted on his steamers
Astern, above the screws
Beware of the propellers of
Our little Billy Hughes
To France he paid a visit
And motored out to Loos
So he could hear the ANZACs cheer
Our little Billy Hughes

Oh! The man Australia's proud of
Is little Billy Hughes
We love to read his speeches
And listen to his views
And what Billy asks old England
We know she won't refuse
For all Australia's right behind
Our little Billy Hughes

When you're feeling pessimistic
And badly have the blues
Just read the buck-up speeches of
Our little Billy Hughes
And when the Kaiser chucks it
And when for peace he sues
He'll find he has to reckon with
Our little Billy Hughes

Oh! The man Australia's proud of
Is little Billy Hughes
We love to read his speeches
And listen to his views
And what Billy asks old England
We know she won't refuse
For all Australia's right behind
Our little Billy Hughes