Billy Don't Be a Hero blue, and "riding out" (cavalry) refer to the American Civil War. However the drum beat and cavalry "riding out" is not specific to the American Civil War, and blue uniforms were common in the 19th century. That being said, Paper Lace themselves performed the song on "Top of the Pops" wearing Union-style uniforms, as can be seen on YouTube. A young woman is distraught that her fiancé chooses to enlist with Army recruiters passing through the town, causing her to implore him: The song goes on to describe how Billy is killed in action in a pitched battle after volunteering
Billy Don't Be a Hero performed a comedic cover of this song, featuring the altered line, "Where did Billy's head go?" in place of "Billy, keep your head low." Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants, named the hero of "The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby" Billy solely to make possible a passing homage to "Billy Don't Be a Hero." Since then, the "Billy Don't Be a Hero" homage has been applied to other characters whose names rhyme with "Billy" in several Captain Underpants spin-off comics. In the season 4 episode of "Dinosaurs," the episode title was referenced, "Earl, Don't Be A Hero." Billy Don't Be