Outlandish Knight- W. Newman (Glou) c.1930 Carpenter
[From James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/3/M, pp. 06999-07000. Both the maid and parrot are named "pretty Pollee." Stanza 14 was missing two lines, filled in with standard text.
R. Matteson 2018]
Outlandish Knight- sung by William Newman of Stanway Hill, Gloucestershire, England. Collected by Carpenter about 1930.
1. An outlandish knight came from the north land
He came a-'ooing me;
Said he would take me to a distant land,
An' there he would marry me.
2 He asked her for some of her father's gold,
An' some of her mother's fee,
An' two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where there stands thirty an' three.
3 She fetched him some of her father's gold,
An' some of her mother's fee,
An' two of the very best nags out o' the stable,
Where there stand thirty an' three.
4 She mounted her on her milk-white horse,
An' he on the dapple grey;
They rode till they came to a waterside,
Three hours before it was day.
5 "Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
An' deliver him unto me;
For six pretty maidens I've drowned here,
An' thou the seventh shalt be."
6 "Pull off, pull off thy silken gown,
An' deliver it unto me;
For it is too rich an' too gay
To be buried all in the salt sea."
7 "If I must pull off my silken gown,
Pray turn your back unto me;
For it is not fittin' a man like you
An undressed woman should see."
8 He turned his back towards her
An' viewed the river so green;
She took him round the middle so small,
An' bundled him into the stream.
9 He growped high and he growped low,
Until he came to the side;
"Take hold of my hand, my fair lady,
An' thou shalt be my bride."
10 "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me;
For six pretty maids you've drowned here,
An' the seventh has drowned thee.'
11 She mounted on her lily-white steed,
An' led the dapple grey;
She rode till she came to her own father's house,
Three hours before it was day.
12 The parrot being up in the window so high,
An' hearing the missus did say,
"What ails thee, what ails thee, my pretty lady
That you should tarry so long before day?"
13 Her father being up in the chamber so high,
An' hearing the parrot did say,
"What ails thee, what ails thee, my pretty Pollee,
That you prattle so long before day?"
14 ["It's no laughing matter,"] the parrot did say,
["That so loudly I called unto thee,]
The cat being up in the plum so high,
I thought he would have had me."
15 "Well turned, well turned, my pretty Pollee,
Well turned, well turned," said she;
"Thy cage shall be made of the glittering gold,
An' the door of the best ivory."