Lyrics
The march ing band came (C7)down a long Main street, the sol dier blues fell in be hind.
I looked a cross and (C7)there I saw Bil ly, wait ing to go and join the line.
And with her head up (C7)on his shoul der,
his young and love ly (C7)fi an cée,
from where I stood I (C7)saw she was cry ing, and through her tears I (C)heard her say; She said, (F)Bil ly, don’t be a (Fmaj7)he ro, don’t be a (Gm)fool with your life.
(C7)Bil ly, don’t be a he ro, come back and (F)make me your wife.”
And as they start ed to go
she said, (Bb)“Bil ly, keep your head (Bbm)low.
(F)Bil ly, don’t be a (Bb)he ro, (C7)come back to (F)me.”
The sol dier blues were (C7)trapped on a hill side, the bat tle rag ing all a round.
The ser geant cried, “We’ve (C7)got to hang on, boys, we’ve got to hold this piece of ground.
I need a vol un (C7)teer to ride up
and bring us back some (C7)ex tra men.”
And Bil ly’s hand was (C7)up in a mo ment, for get ting all the (C)words she said.
She said, (F)Bil ly, don’t be a (Fmaj7)he ro, don’t be a (Gm)fool with your life.
(C7)Bil ly, don’t be a he ro, come back and (F)make me your wife.”
And as they start ed to go
she said, (Bb)“Bil ly, keep your head (Bbm)low.
(F)Bil ly, don’t be a (Bb)he ro, (C7)come back to (F)me.”
I heard she threw that (Gm7)let ter
a (F)way.
Billy, Don't Be A Hero by Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
Easy piano arrangement in the key of Bb at 100 BPM. Difficulty: medium. Color-coded notes — no sheet-reading skill required.
About “Billy, Don't Be A Hero”
- What key is "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" in?
- "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" by Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods is in the key of Bb with a tempo of 100 BPM. Difficulty: medium.
- Is "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" easy to play on piano?
- This arrangement is rated medium. It requires comfort with chord shapes and basic hand independence. Expect 1-2 weeks of regular practice for a confident performance.
- Can I play "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" without reading sheet music?
- Yes. Our player offers a falling-notes mode (Synthesia-style) and a beginner mode with color-coded keys — both let you play along without reading traditional notation.