Pretty Polly music is from "Music of the Ballads" section in Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, "British Ballads from Maine", 1929 , p. XXVII; Text from Bronson, 101. Sung by Milton H. Osborn, Vineland, N. J., February 17, 1907; learned from his older sister in Missouri.
[The name Polly is another generic slang word for the Irish word, cailin, meaning "girl" "girlfriend" or "lover." (Barry 1909) R. Matteson 2011]
PRETTY POLLY- Milton H. Osborn, Vineland, N. J., February 17, 1907
"Mount up, mount up, my pretty Polly,
And come along with me,
And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
And there I'll marry thee, thee, thee,
And there I'll marry thee!"
Then they went to her father's stable,
And viewed the stalls around,
He chose out the dapple gray,
And she the pony brown.
She mounted upon the little pony brown,
And he on the dapple gray,
And they rode and they rode thro' the merry green woods,
Till they came to the side of the sea.
"Light off, light off, my pretty Polly,
Light off, light off," said he,
"For six King's daughters I've drownded here,
And the seventh you shall be!"
"Take off these costly robes of silk,
And fold them upon your knee,
For it is a shame . . .
To rot in the salt water sea!"
"Turn your face quite round about,
With your face to the leaves on the tree . .
(Something about a naked woman follows- not recollected.)
. . . . .
. . . . . .
And she picked him up quite manfully,
And threw him into the sea.
"Lie there, lie there you false-hearted wretch
Lie there in the place of me!
For six King's daughters you've drownded here,
And the seventh has drowaded thee!"
"O help me out, my pretty Polly,
O help me outl" cried he,
"And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
And there I'll marry thee!"
She mounted upon her little pony brown,
And led the dapple gray.
. . . . . .
. . . . . .
(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in which the parrot asks Polly where she has been.)
"O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,
And tell no lies on me,
And I'll line your cage with the pure yellow gold,
And hang it on a green willow tree!"
(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in which Polly's father asks the parrot what is the matter.)
"The cat she came to my cage window door,
And threatened to devour me,
And I called up my pretty Polly
To drive the cat away!"
------------------------------------------
Bronson Listing No. 101 [ABCNotation. com]
T:Pretty Polly
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, "British Ballads from Maine",I929, p. XXVii.
Text,
O:Barry MSS., IV, No. 206. Sung by Milton H. Osborn, Vineland,
O:N.J., February I7, I907; learned from his older sister in Missouri.
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C
C | G G/>A/ c G | A G G C |
w:Mount up, mount* up, my pretty Pol-ly, And
G A c A | G3 G | c G A C | F A G A |
w:come a-long with me, I'll take thee to the far Scot-land, And
G G F D | C D E A | G G F D | C3 |]
w:there I'll mar-ry thee, thee, thee, And there I'll mar-ry thee!
W:
W:"Mount up, mount up, my pretty Polly,
W:And come along with me,
W:And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
W:And there I'll marry thee, thee, thee,
W:And there I'll marry thee!"
W:
W:Then they went to her father's stable,
W:And viewed the stalls around,
W:He chose out the dapple gray,
W:And she the pony brown.
W:
W:She mounted upon the little pony brown,
W:And he on the dapple gray,
W:And they rode and they rode thro' the merry green woods,
W:Till they came to the side of the sea.
W:
W:"Light off, light off, my pretty Polly,
W:Light off, light off," said he,
W:"For 6 King's daughters I've drownded here,
W:And the seventh you shall be!"
W:
W:"Take off these costly robes of silk,
W:And fold them upon your knee,
W:For it is a shame . . .
W:To rot in the salt water sea!"
W:
W:"Turn your face quite round about,
W:With your face to the leaves on the tree . .
W:(Something about a naked woman follows-
W:not recollected.)
W:
W:. . . . .
W:. . . . . .
W:And she picked him up quite manfully,
W:And threw him into the sea.
W:
W:"Lie there, lie there you false-hearted wretch
W:Lie there in the place of me!
W:For 6 King's daughters you've drownded here,
W:And the seventh has drowaded thee!"
W:
W:"O help me out, my pretty Polly,
W:O help me outl" cried he,
W:"And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
W:And there I'll marry thee!"
W:
W:She mounted upon her little pony brown,
W:And led the dapple gray.
W:. . . . . .
W:. . . . . .
W:(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in
W:which the parrot asks Polly where she has been.)
W:
W:"O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,
W:And tell no lies on me,
W:And I'll line your cage with the pure yellow gold,
W:And hang it on a green willow tree!"
W:(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in
W:which Polly's father asks the parrot what is
W:the matter.)
W:
W:"The cat she came to my cage window door,
W:And threatened to devour me,
W:And I called up my pretty Polly
W:To drive the cat away!"