"Villikins and his Dinah" is an extremely well known melody, published repeatedly in the second half of the 19th century and collected from multiple traditional singers across the English-speaking world. The tune is related to the jig tune "Paddy Whack". It has been used many times for other songs, perhaps most famously for the American song "Betsy from Pike". The tune is also used for the Irish partisan song "The Old Orange Flute" and the Irish War of Independence song "The Bold Black and Tans". It is also the melody for the bawdy song "The Thrashing Machine". The song is a Cocknified parody of an earlier song, "William and Dinah" – it was written for the legitimate theatre rather than for the Music Hall, but was later revived very successfully in the Halls by Sam Cowell. Many late 19th century writers believed it was written by EL Blanchard (1820-1889), who for many years wrote the annual pantomime for the Drury Lane Theatre. It is in the Roud Folksong Index as #271. It was recorded by Alfie Bass in 1960.