Pretty Polly- (NC) c.1921 Sutton; Brown A
[From the Brown Collection of NC Folklore; No informant given. A Brown editor writes, "Mrs. Sutton reports that it was sung by Mrs. Hall in Buncombe county." Is this version A? We may never know- haha! There are 7 versions of text A-G plus six additional versions with music. Maude Minish Sutton (died 1936) of Caldwell County, N.C., was a collector for the Brown Collection primarily in the 1920s. I'm guesstimating this one to be c. 1921. Following are the notes from the Brown Collection editor(s).
R. Matteson 2011; 1914]
OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH
Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight (Child 4)
For the history of this ballad in many lands and tongues, see Child's headnote in English and Scottish Popular Ballads and Grundtvig's in Danmarks gamle Folkeviser, and for its occurrence since Child's time in the British Isles and in America, see BSM 5-6 — and add to the references there given Arkansas (OFS I 47), Florida (FSF 237-41), and Missouri (OFS I 45-6). It is a favorite among the ballad singers of North Carolina; Mrs. Sutton reports that it was sung by Mrs. Hall in Buncombe county, by Mrs. Gordon in Henderson county, by Mrs. Brown in Avery county, and others. Mrs. Steely records three texts, with tunes, found in the Ebenezer community in Wake county. The name of the heroine varies. Most often it is Polly. The names Clovanne (in version C) and Cold Rain (in version D) may be assumed to derive from the May Colvin of British broadside versions. The villain, if named at all — as generally he is not in the North Carolina versions — is William. All three of the scenes that make up the story, the elopement, the drowning, the dialogue with the parrot, are present in all the North Carolina versions, even the much reduced F. Versions D, E, and G show the shift of grammatical person from the first person to the third which is so frequent in traditional balladry.
A. 'Pretty Polly.' Recorded by Mrs. Sutton but from which of the many whom she heard sing it is not clear from her covering letter. It resembles version P of the Virginia collection by beginning with the girl's warning to the bird not to betray her — though the bird here is a crowing chicken and seems to have no connection with the parrot which appears in its accustomed place at the close. There is in the Collection another copy of this version lacking the last stanza and called 'The King's Daughter,' with the tune as sung by Mrs. J. J. Miller (the Myra Barnett from whom Mrs. Sutton learned so many of her ballads).
1 'My pretty little crowin' chicken,
It's don't you crow too soon,
And your wings shall be of the yellow beaten gold
And your comb of the silver so gay, gay, gay
And your comb of the silver so gay.'
2 She stole her father's horses,
And she rode the dappled bay.
And she travelled till she came to the salt-water sea
Six hours before it was day, day, day,
Six hours before it was day.
3 'Light down, light down, pretty Polly,
And stand by the side of me.
For the six king's daughters that I have drowned here.
And the seventh daughter you shall be, be, be.
And the seventh daughter you shall be.
4 Pull off, pull off those fine, fine clothes
And give them unto me;
For I do think that they're too costly and too fine
To rot in the salt-water sea, sea, sea,
To rot in the salt-water sea.'
5 'Oh turn your back all unto me
And your face to the leaves on the tree;
For I do think it's a scandal and a shame
That a naked woman you should see, see, see,
That a naked woman you should see.'
6 He turned his back all unto her
And his face to the leaves on the tree.
She picked him up so manly and so strong
And pitched him into the salt-water sea,
And pitched him into the sea.
7 'Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there in the place of me.
For the six king's daughters that you have drowned there,
And the seventh daughter you shall be, be, be.
And the seventh daughter you shall be.'
8 She rode her father's horse
And she led the dappled bay,
And she rode till she came to her own father's house
Three hours before it was day, day, day.
Three hours before it was day.
9 'Oh, where have you been, pretty Polly,
So long before it is day?'
[O 'Oh, hush, oh, hush, my little parrot,
And tell no tales on me,
And your cage it shall be of the yellow beaten gold
And the doors of the ivory, ry, ry.
And the doors of the ivory.
10 'Oh, why do you wake, my little parrot,
So long before it is day?'
'There came a cat unto my nest to rob me of my rest,
And I called pretty Polly to drive it away,
And I called pretty Polly to drive it away.'