A5                     D5
The marchin' band came down along main street
G5                   
The soldier blues fell in behind 
A5                    D5
I looked across and there I saw Billy
E5                 G5
Waiting to go and join the line
A5                 D5
And with her head upon his shoulder
A5                  D5
His young and lovely fiancee
A5                 D5
From where I stood I saw she was cryin'
A5                    D5
And through her tears I heard her say

G5                                  A5
Billy, don't be a hero, don't be a fool with your life
A5                                   G5
Billy, don't be a hero, come back and make me your wife
       G5            G5
And as he started to go,
         A5                  C5
She said Billy keep your head low
G5               D5                  G5
Billy, don't be hero, come back to me.

A5                     D5
The soldier blues were trapped on a hillside
G5
The battle raging all around
A5                   D5
The sergeant cried, We've got to hang on boys!"
E5                   G5
We've got to hold this piece of ground
A5                 D5
I need a volunteer to ride up,
A5                 D5
And bring us back some extra men,
A5                  D5
And Billy's hand was up in a moment
A5                  D5                    D5
Forgettin' all the words she said...she said


CHORUS

A5               D5
I heard his fiancee got a letter
G5
That told how Billy died that day
A5                   D5
The letter said that he was a hero
E5                        G5
She should be proud he died that way
E5                    D5       G5
I heard she threw the letter away