| In the town of Louisville | |
| They got a man they call Big Bad Bill | |
| I want to tell you, he sure was tough | |
| And he certainly did strut his stuff | |
| He had folks all scared to death | |
| When he walked by they all held their breath | |
| He was a fighting man, sure enough | |
| Now Bill got himself a wife and he leads a different life | |
| 'Cause Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now | |
| Married life has changed him some how | |
| Well, he's the man the town used to fear | |
| But now the people call him sweet papa Willie dear | |
| Stronger than Samson I declare | |
| 'Til the brown skinned woman bobbed his hair | |
| Big Bad Bill don't fight anymore | |
| Well, he wash his dishes and he might swob the floor | |
| Well, he used to spend his evenings lookin' for a fight | |
| Now he gotta see his mama every night | |
| Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now | |
| Well, he used to spend his evenings lookin' for a fight | |
| Now he gotta see his mama every night | |
| Big Bad Bill is Sweet William now |