Pretty Polly- Drake (TX) 1952 Owens A
[Texas Folk Songs; William Owens; 1950, with music. Owens notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
PRETTY POLLY
Called "Lady Isabel and the Elf-Knight" in England and Scotland, "Pretty Polly" is the most widely known of all ballads, according to Francis James Child. Versions of it have been found in Germany, Poland, and Holland, as well as in the British Isles and America. In Texas, however, it is not nearly so well known as "Barbara Allen" and "Fair Ellender."
The version sung by Mrs. Ben Dryden is somewhat similar to an English version called "My Collin." The supernatural element has been lost, and the identity of the betrayer-an elf-knight, or false priest in some versions-is nor revealed. The "six king's daughters" of the English versions have become in Texas "six of the old Virginny girls." In some renditions Pretty Polly confides her story to her "pretty parrot" and begs him not to tell her parents.
A. Pretty Polly. Sung by Rod Drake, Silsbee, Texas, 1952. The third line, which does not occur in the first two verses, is included here with the text from the third verse.
There came a young man a-courting here
And Billy was his name;
(Third line not sung.)
He came a-courting of me,
A-courting of me, oh, me.
He courted me up, he courted me down,
I had no wings to fly away;
(Third, line not sung.)
No tongue to tell him no, no, no,
No tongue to tell him no.
"Go rob your mother of her fee,
Your father of his gold,
And two of the best horses that your father has,
Likewise he thirty and three, three, three,
Likewise he thirty and three."
She robbed her mother of her fee,
Her father of his gold,
And two of the best horses that her father had,
Likewise he thirty and three, three, three,
Likewise he thirty and three.
He mounted on a double black,
And she on a dapple gray,
And they rode till they came to the deep water side,
In the length of a long summer day, day, day,
In the length of a long summer day.
"Oh, light you down, Pretty Polly,
Oh, light you down," says he,
"Six king's daughters all drownded here,
And the seventh you will be, be, be,
And the seventh you will be."
She turned herself all around and about
To view the green leaves on the tree;
She takened him by his slender waist
And she plunged him into the sea, sea, sea,
And she plunged him into the sea.
"Oh, help me our, Pretty Polly,
Oh, help me out," says he,
"And to New England we will go
And married we will be, be, be,
And married we will be."
"Swim there, swim there, you false young man,
Swim there; swim there," says she,
"Oh, ain't it a pity such costly wear
Will be rotting in the old salt sea, sea, sea,
Will be rotting in the old salt sea."
She mounted on the double black,
And she led the dapple gray,
And she rode till she come to her own father's door
Two hours before it was day, day, day,
Two hours before it was day.
"Crow there, crow there, you pretty crowing fowl,
Crow there, crow there," says she,
"Your wings shall be mounted with shining gold,
And your comb with the ivory so gay, gay, gay,
And your comb with the ivory so gay."