Pretty Polly- John Langille (NS) 1910 Mackenzie A
[From Ballads and Sea Songs from Nova Scotia by William Roy Mackenzie- 1928. This is one of three versions Mackenzie collected about 1910 around River John, Nova Scotia. Below is an excerpt describing the informant.
R. Matteson 2014]
Excerpt from The Quest of the Ballad By William Roy Mackenzie (1919):
I had an equal amount of success with the ballad which, since I have been given permission to call it what I please, I shall for the sake of convenience call "Pretty Polly." Among the relatives of Easter Ann with whom I reviewed the situation was a certain John Langille, an intermittent sailor and man-of-all-work and a boisterous singer of a late variety of sea-songs. John was not merely a relative of Easter Ann. He had the much larger distinction of being a nephew of Little Ned, in the light of whose countenance he had basked times without number. But with the blindness of a younger generation he had failed to perceive the rare qualities of his uncle's finest ballads, considering them as curious trifles rather than as songs worthy of being committed to memory for actual use. He could supply only a line or two of "Little Matha Grove"; but when we came to "Pretty Polly," he announced that he "used to roar this one a little" himself—"though," he added, he "never thought it was much of a song, either."
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF KNIGHT
(Child, No. 4)
A. [Pretty Polly] From the singing and recitation of John Langille, River John, Pictou County.
1 There was a lord in Ambertown,
He courted a lady gay,
And all he wanted of this pretty maid
Was to take her life away.
2 "Go get me some of your father's sold.
And some of your mother's fee,
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where there stands thirty and three."
3 She went and got some of her father's gold,
And some of her mother's fee,
And two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where there stood thirty and three.
4 She mounted on the milk-white steed,
And he on the rambling grey,
And they rode till they came to the salt seaside,
Three hours before it was day.
5 "Light off, light off thy milk-white steed,
And deliver it unto me,
For six pretty maids have I drownded here,
And the seventh one thou shalt be.
6 "Take off, take off thy silken dress,
Likewise thy golden stays.
Methinks they are too rich and too gay
To rot in the salt, salt seas."
7 "If I must take off my silken dress,
Likewise my golden stays,
You must turn your back around to me
And face yon willow tree."
8 He turned himself around about,
To face yon willow tree;
She grasped him by the middle so tight,
And she tumbled him into the sea.
9 "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me,
For six pretty maids thou hast drownded here;
Go keep them company!"
10 So he roll6d high and he rolled low,
Till he rolled to the seaside.
"Stretch forth your hand, my pretty Polly,
And I'll make you my bride."
11 "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me,
For six pretty maids thou hast drownded here,
But the seventh hath drownded thee!"
12 She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And she led her rambling grey,
And she rode forward to her father's door,
An hour before it was day.
13 The parrot being up so early in the morn,
It unto Polly did say,
"I was afraid that some ruffian
Had led you astray."
14 The old man on his pillow did lie,
He unto the parrot did say,
"What ails you, what ails you, you pretty Poll parrot,
You prattle so long before day? "
15 "The old cat was at my cage door,
And I was afraid he was going to eat me,
And I was calling for pretty Polly,
To go drive the old cat away."
16 "Well turned, well turned, my pretty poll parrot!
Well turned, well turned!" said she;
"Your cage it shall be of the glittering gold,
And the doors of ivory.
17 "No tales, no tales, my pretty Poll parrot,
No tales you will tell on me.
Your cage it shall be of the glittering gold,
And hung on yon willow tree."