Pretty Polly- Lively (WV) c1875 Cox E
[From Folk-Songs of the South; Cox, 1925; Cox's notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF KNIGHT (Child, No. 4)
This ballad is known in West Virginia as "Pretty Polly," "Six Kings' Daughters," "The King's Daughter," "The False Lover," and "The Salt-Water Sea." Nine variants have been recovered.
For American variants see Child, M, 496 (Virginia; from Babcock, Folk-Lore Journal, VIII, 28) ; Journal, XVIII, 132 (Barry; Massachusetts) ; XIX, 232 (Belden; Missouri); XXII, 65 (Beatty; Wisconsin), 76 (Barry; New Jersey, tune only), 374 (Barry; Massachusetts; from Ireland; also readings from other texts); XXVI, 374 (Mackenzie; Nova Scotia; cf. Quest of the Ballad, pp. 93, 174, 183); xxiv, 2)33, 344 (Barry; Massachusetts and Illinois; from Irish sources); XXXVII, 90 (Gardner; Michigan); xxviii, 148 (Perrow; North Carolina); xxxv, (Tolman and Eddy; Ohio); Wyman and Brockway, p. 82 (Kentucky); Campbell and Sharp, No. 2 (Massachusetts, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia); Focus, IV, 161, 212 (Virginia); Child MSS., xxi, 4 (4, 6); Minish MS. (North Carolina). In Charley Fox's Minstrel's Companion (Philadelphia, Turner & Fisher), p. 52, may be found "Tell-Tale Polly. Comic Ballad. (As sung by Charley Fox.) "
For references to American versions, see Journal, xxix, 156, note, 157; xxx, 286. Add Shearin and Combs, p. 7; Bulletin, Nos. 6-10. For recent British references see Journal, xxxv, 338; Campbell and Sharp, p. 323.
E. " Pretty Polly." Communicated by Mr. Rex Hoke. Second Creek, Monroe County, November 8, 1915; obtained from Mrs. L. F. Hoke, who learned it about forty years ago from Mr. Wise W. Lively. Printed by Cox, XLV, 240.
1 He followed her up and he followed her down,
And he followed her into the room;
He never give her time for her to turn herself around,
Nor time for to say nay. nay, nay,
Nor time for to say nay.
2 "Go take a part of your father's gold
And a part of your mother's fee;
Go take two of your father's best horses,
In where there's thirty and three, three, three,
In where there's thirty and three."
3 She took a part of her father's gold
And a part of her mother's fee;
She took two of her father's best horses,
In where there's thirty and three, three, three,
In where there's thirty and three.
4 She mounted herself on the barney [1] bright,
And he on the iron gray;
They rode till they came to the salt-water sea,
At the end of the long summer day, day, day,
At the end of the long summer day.
5 "Mount off, mount off, my Pretty Polly,
Mount off, mount off, I tell thee;
I've drowned six of the king's daughters here,
You the seventh shall be, be, be,
You the seventh shall be.
6 "Take off, take off that silk so fine,
And lay it down to me,
For it was never intended silk so fine
To rot in the salt-water sea, sea, sea,
To rot in the salt-water sea."
7 "You turn your eyes all around and about
And onto the leaves of the tree;
For you are not a fitten man
An undressed woman for to see, see, see,
An undressed woman for to see."
8 He turned his eyes around and about
And onto the leaves of the tree;
She caught him around the waist so slim,
And she tripped him in the salt-water sea, sea, sea,
And she tripped him in the salt-water sea.
9 "Come help, come help, my Pretty Polly,
Come help, come help, I beg thee!
And I will take you to old Scotland,
And there I will marry thee, thee, thee."
10 "Lie there, lie there, my false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me!
You drowned six of the king's daughters there,
O you the seventh shall be, be, be,
O you the seventh shall be."
11 She mounted herself on the barney bright
And led the iron gray;
She rode till she came to her father's hall,
Two long hours before it was day, day, day,
Two long hours before it was day.
12 Up spoke, up spoke her little parrot bird:
"Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly," said she,
"Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly, what are you doing
So long before it is day, day, day,
So long before it is day?"
13 "Lie still, lie still, my pretty parrot bird,
And keep this secret on me!
I'll build you a cage and I 'll line it with gold,
And I'll hang it on a sweet willow tree, tree, tree,
And I'll hang it on a sweet willow tree."
1. Probably for bonny black: cf. I, 1.