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Pretty Polly/Gosport Tragedy/Cruel Ship's Carpenter
Pretty Polly; Painting by Richard L. Matteson Jr. C 2009
Old-Time, Song & Breakdown
ARTIST: from Mr. Hilliard Smith Aug. 10, 1910 Hindemith KY. From Sharp's EFSSA;
Watch David Holt play Version 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIA2D0jfF6Q
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: One source states: Gosport Tragedy was popular in England and colonies early 1700s; Printed source of Cruel Ship's Carpenter dates to 1767 (Journal from the Vaughn).
RECORDING INFO:
Estil C. Ball, "Pretty Polly" (on LomaxCD1701, LomaxCD1705); "Pretty Polly" (AFS, 1941; on LCTreas)
Frank Bode, "Pretty Polly" (on FBode1)
Dock Boggs, "Pretty Polly" (Brunswick 132A, 1927); (on Boggs1, BoggsCD1)
Coon Creek Girls, "Pretty Polly" (Vocalion 04659, 1939; Perfect 16102, 1935?)
Bill Cornett ,"Pretty Polly" (on MMOKCD)
Cranford & Thompson, "Pretty Polly" (Melotone 45092, 1935)
John Hammond, "Purty Polly" (Challenge 168, 1927)
Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner, "Pretty Polly" (Brunswick 116, 1927)
Ivor Melton & band, "Pretty Polly" (on Persis1)
Pleaz Mobley, "Pretty Polly" (on JThomas01)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Pretty Polly" (on NLCR13)
Jean Ritchie, "Pretty Polly" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1)
Sauceman Brothers, "Pretty Polly" (Rich-R-Tone 457, n.d.)
Pete Seeger, "Pretty Polly" (on PeteSeeger16)
Lee Sexton, "Pretty Polly" (on MMOKCD)
B. F. Shelton "Pretty Polly" (Victor 35838, 1927; on BefBlues1)
Stanley Brothers, "Pretty Polly" (Columbia 20770, 1951)
Pete Steele, "Pretty Polly" (AFS 1587/1702, 1938; on PSteele01, KMM)
Turner & Parkins, "Pretty Polly" (Superior 2635, 1931)
Jack Wallin, "Pretty Polly" (on Wallins1)
Shanachie 6040, Gerry Milnes & Lorraine Lee Hammond – “Hell Up Coal Holler” (1999). Tradition Records TLP 1007, Hobart Smith ‑ "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians" (1956).
RELATED TO: Gosport Tragedy; Cruel Ship's Carpenter
OTHER NAMES: Pretty Molly; Dying Polly; Oh Polly; Gosport Tragedy
SOURCES: Ceolas; Folk Index; Traditional Ballad Index; Mudcat
Randolph 153, "Pretty Polly" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 1 tune)
BrownII 64, "The Gosport Tragedy" (3 texts plus 1 excerpt and mention of 1 more; Laws lists the "A" text as P36A, and the rest as P36B, but "D" and probably "C" are "Pretty Polly")
Brewster 64, "Pretty Polly" (1 text plus a fragment)
Leach, pp. 698-700, "The Gosport Tragedy" (2 texts, but only the second goes with this piece; the first is, obviously, "The Gosport Tragedy")
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 79, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wyman-Brockway II, p. 110, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, pp. 69-70, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 140-141, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 89, "Come, Pretty Polly" (3 texts, 1 tune)
JHCoxIIA, #17A-C, pp. 73-78, "Pretty Polly," "Come, Polly, Pretty Polly" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 2 tunes; the "A" text is the full "Cruel Ship's Carpenter" version; "B" is the short "Pretty Polly (II)"; the "C" fragment is too short to tell but has lyrics more typical of the latter)
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 53-54, "" (1 text, very short even by the standards of this worn-down song)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 128-134, collectively titled "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" but with individual titles "Pretty Polly," "Dying Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Oh, Polly!" (6 texts; 5 tunes on pp. 395-398; of these only the "C" text has a ghost; in "D" and "E" there is no ghost but Willie's ship sinks; these presumably should file with Laws P36, while "A," B," and "F" go here)
Lomax-FSUSA 84, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 143-144, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 227, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
NOTES: Old‑Time, Air. Paul Clayton says the song was derived from an English broadside called "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" or "Gosport Tragedy" in American tradition Polly is led over hills and deep valleys until finally murdered. Gerry Milnes calls it a “time-worn chestnut,” widely sung and played. The American version's plot is: Willie urges Polly to go riding with him "some pleasure to see" before they get married. Although she is "afraid of his ways," she comes, only to find her new-dug grave awaiting her. Willie kills and buries her and heads home (or out to sea) while the wild bird mourn.
"The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" dates back to England in 1767 found in a Journal from the Vaughn. The basic plot is: The carpenter gets the girl pregnant. They meet, allegedly to plan their wedding. He announces he spent the night digging her grave, then murders her. He flees to sea; her ghost follows to demand justice. His crime is revealed, and the man dies
Pretty Polly is a shortened form of "The Gosport Tragedy." Although no clear line between the two can be drawn "The Gosport Tragedy" includes the ghost and "Pretty Polly" omits it. Many if not most American versions are probably traceable back to B. F. Shelton's recording, which was enormously (and deservedly) popular.
According to J. M. Jarrell of Wayne Co., WV, cited by J. B. Cox in "Traditional Ballads Mainly From West Virginia," in the early 19th century one Polly Aldridge was murdered by William Chapman, who was convicted and executed in Martin Co., KY, and this ballad was being sung about the killing c. 1850.
Bluegrass recordings by Raph Stanley (1951 Stanley Brothers) and recently Patty Loveless with Ralph Stanley have kept this murder ballad popular in bluegrass circles. Some Stanley versions including a live version on Youtube omit the stabbing verse, I presume, as an attempt to make the song politically correct.
"Pretty Polly" from Sharp:
This is taken from Mr. Hilliard Smith Aug. 10, 1910 Hindemith KY. The opening verse is the same as Kentuckian Lily May Ledford's Version 8. Lily May might have got the lyrics from John Lair who surely had a version of Sharp's EFSSA.
PRETTY POLLY [Hilliard Smith]
1. O Where is Pretty Polly O Yonder She stands
Gold Rings on her fingers her lily-white hands.
0 Polly, 0 Polly,O Polly says he. Let's take a little walk before married we be.
2. O William, O William, I don't want to go.
Your people are all against it and that you well know. He led her over high hills and hollows so steep, At length pretty Polly began for to weep.
3. O William, sweet William, 0 William, said she, I fear your intention is for to murder me.
0 Polly, 0 Polly, you have guessed about right,
I was digging your grave the best part of last night.
4. They went on a little farther and she began to shy. She saw her grave dug and the spade a-sitting by.
She threw her arms around him, saying: I am in no fear. How can you kill a poor girl that loves you so dear?
5 O Polly, O Polly, we have no time for to stand. He drew his revolver all out in his hand.
He shot her through the heart which caused the blood to flow, And into her grave her fair body he did throw. He threw her in the grave, straightway he did run, Left no one to weep but some small birds to mourn.
6. The ship setting ready all on the sea-side,
He swore by his Maker he'd sail the other side.
All on whilst he was sailing the ship she sprang a leak,
And away to the bottom sweet William he sank.
7. There he met with pretty Polly all in the gores of blood, In her lily-white arms an infant of mine.
Such screaming and hollering, it all passed away. A debt to the devil he surely had to pay.
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