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
I Wouldn't Be a Man Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) charts published by "Billboard", and number seven on the Canadian country music charts published by "RPM". Billy Dean recorded the song for his 1996 album "It's What I Do", also released through Capitol Records. His version of the song was the third single from it, spending fourteen weeks on the country charts and peaking at number 45 by year's end. In October 1996, Dean told "Billboard" magazine that he chose to cut the song because he thought that it was different from the material that he had cut before; he called it a "one-on-one,