Pretty Polly- Paugh (WV) 1915 Cox A
[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); xxrv, 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, xxrx, 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.
A. "Pretty Polly." Communicated by Mr. George Paugh, Thomas, Tucker County, August 28, 1915; dictated by Mrs. S. R. Paugh.
1 He followed me up, he followed me down,
He followed me into my room;
I hadn't the heart to speak one word,
Nor the tongue to say him nay, nay, nay,
Nor the tongue to say him nay.
2 "Go gather up your father's gold,
Likewise your mother's fee,
Two of your father's best horses,
That ride for thirty and three, three, three,
That ride for thirty and three."
3 She mounted on the pony [1] brown,
And him on the bible [2] bay;
They rode along the salt-water sea
This lonesome, long summer's day, day, day,
This lonesome long summer's day.
4 At last he said, "Get you down,
Get you down, my Pretty Polly; [3]
For here I have drowned six kings' daughters,
And you the seventh shall be, be, be,
And you the seventh shall be."
5 "Take off, take off those costly robes
And hang them on yonders tree,
For they are too fine and costly
To swim in the salt-water sea, sea, sea,
To swim in the salt-water sea."
6 "O turn your body round and about,
And your face to the leaves on the tree,
For a naked woman is the awfullest sight
For all sorts of men for to see, see, see,
For all sorts of men for to see."
7 He turned his body around and about,
His face to the leaves in the tree;
She picked him up so manfully
And dashed him to the bottom of the sea, sea, sea,
And dashed him to the bottom of the sea.
8 " O help, O help, my Pretty Polly!
O help!" said he;
"For if ever I again recover.
To you I'll faithful be, be, be,
To you I'll faithful be."
9 "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me !
Here you have drowned six kings' daughters,
But I the seventh won't be, be, be,
But I the seventh won't be."
10 She mounted upon the pony brown
And led the bible bay,
And arrived at home at her father's house
Just three hours before 't was day, day, day,
Just three hours before 't was day.
11. She placed back her father's gold,
Likewise her mother's fee,
And two of her father's best horses,
That ride to thirty and three, three, three,
That ride to thirty and three.
12 Up rose the pretty little parrot,
Which in its cage did stay,
Saying, "What are you doing, my Pretty Polly,
So long before it is day, day, day,
So long before it is day?"
13 "Get you down, get you down, my pretty parrot,
And tell no tales on me,
And your cage shall be made of the hard witten[4] gold,
And your door of ivory, -ry, -ry,
And your door of ivory."
14 Up rose this good old man,
Who in his chamber lay,
Saying, "What are you doing, my pretty parrot,
So long before it is day, day, day,
So long before it is day?"
15 "There were three cats at my cage door,
A- trying their vengeance on me;
I was just a-calling Pretty Polly,
To drive those cats away, 'way, 'way,
To drive those cats away."
1. Probably for bonny.
2. Probably for dapple.
3. Variant line: " Get you down, get you down," said he.
4. Probably for beaten.