It became a major hit in 1853 when sung by actor Frederick Robson[7] at London's Olympic Theatre[8] in a revived one-act farce, The Wandering Minstrel.
[9][10] The comic version follows the traditional ballad closely but exaggerates its naivety and subverts its paths by telling the lovers' story in urban slang.
[13] From the theatres, it made its way to music halls and saloon bars, and by 1855, it was among the most popular songs of the day, played repeatedly on barrel organs in the streets.
[24] A comparison with "William and Dinah" shows that they are adapted mainly from the traditional,[25] but Robson performed the song with a series of comments and asides.
Other changes to the traditional lyrics included increasing the heroine's age from fourteen to sixteen, dropping the reference to her father as a 'liquor' merchant, and replacing the abusive phrase 'boldest strumpet' with 'boldest daughter'.
An added final 'moral' verse inverts the sympathies of the original by warning girls not to defy their fathers, and young men to be cautious when falling in love.
As William was walking the groves all around He found his dear Dinah lay dead on the ground With a cup of strong poison and a note lying by her side 'Twas my cruel father caused my death so nigh.'
He kissed her cold lips as she lay on the floor And he called her his jewel ten thousand times o'er, Then he drank up the poison like a lover so brave, There's William and Dinah lie both in one grave.
'Tis of a rich merchant who in London did dwell, He had but one daughter, an unkimmon (uncommon) nice young gal(girl); Her name it was Dinah, scarce sixteen years old, With a very large fortune in silver & gold.
Go go, boldest daughter the parent replied; If you won't consent to be this here young man's bride, I'll give your large fortune to the nearest of kin, And you sha'n't reap the benefit of one single pin.
[36] "Dinky di," a ballad sung by Australian soldiers in World War I, used the tune with new lyrics satirising non-combatant army staff.
[37] The song's great popularity[38] was further boosted after it was adopted by Sam Cowell, an Anglo-American music hall artist who performed it successfully and became his signature piece.
At least two farces were written to exploit the popularity of the song, one by J. Stirling Coyne, Willikind and hys Dinah (1854), and one by Francis C. Burnand.
[39] At a state ball given by Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in June 1854, the band played a waltz version of "Villikins and his Dinah.
Alfie Bass, the Cockney actor and comedian, made a 1960 recording of "Villikins and his Dinah," which includes much of the music hall patter that traditionally accompanied the performance.