Pretty Sally- Baker (MO) 1903 Randolph A
[From Randolph's Ozark Folksongs; Volume 1: British Ballads and Songs. Randolph takes no position on the debate about the classification of "Pretty Sally" but he places the ballads in his Child ballads section and seems to accept the ballads as versions of Child 295. Randolph's notes follow.
R. Matteson Jr. 2014]
40. PRETTY SALLY OF LONDON
Similar to several pieces reported from Virginia by Davis (Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 537-543), who publishes them as variants of "The Brown Girl" (Child, English and the Popular Ballads, 1882-1898, No. 295). In this he follows the authority of Campbell and Sharp (English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, 1917, No. 36) who recovered similar items in Virginia and in North Carolina. Barry, Eckstorm and Smyth (British Ballads from Maine, 1929, pp.418-425) print five texts from Maine, and consider it as a secondary form derived from Child 295. For other American references see Barry (JAFL 18, 1905, p. 295, Tolman (JAFL 29,1916, p. 17S), Cox (Folk-Songs of the South, 1925, pp. 366-370), Kirkland (Southern Folklore Quarterly 2, 1938, p. 79), who reports a "Rich Irish Lady" version, "Sally Dover" in Chappell (Folk-Songs of Roanoke and the Albermarle, 1939, pp. 75), Gardner (Ballads and Songs of Southern Michigan, 1939, pp. 150-151), Treat (JAFL 52, 1939, pp. Belden (Ballads and, Songs, 1940, pp. 111-118), Brewster (Ballads and Songs of Indiana 1940, pp. 164-165), and "A Brave Irish Lady" in the Brown (North Carolina Folk-Lore collection.
A. [Pretty Sally] Sung by Mrs. Anna Baker, St. Louis, Mo., Apr. 30, 1934. Mrs. Baker learned the song near West Plains, Mo., about 1903.
There was a young lady
From London she came,
She called herself, she said,
Pretty Sally by name.
Her riches was more
Than the king could possess,
An' her beauty alone
Was her wealth at the best. [1]
There was a young gentleman,
A silk merchant's son,
The least of his wealth
Was at five hundred pounds.
He was tangled in love,
But he knew not for why,
For on him pretty Sally
Would scarcely cast her eye.
Oh Sally, pretty Sally,
Sweet Sally, says he,
I'm sorry my true love
An' yours caint agree.
If your hatred for me
Don't soon turn into love,
I'm lost an' I'm ruined
For the lovin' of thee.
You know I despise You
Worse than any human man,
To tell you I love you
Is more than I can.
I'll drop your acquaintance
An' quit your discourse,
For I never will marry you
Without I am forced. [2]
So six months had come,
An' they almost had Passed,
An' then Pretty Sally
Fell in love at the last.
She sent for this Young man
She once did deny,
She knew in her sufferance
She was goin' to die.
He says am I the man
That you sent for here?
She says you're the very man
That I sent for here.
Oh yes, you're the only one
That can kill me or cure,
An' without your relief
I will die I am sure.
Oh once I did love you,
But you laughed me to scorn,
. . . . [3]
. . . .
I'll never forgive you
While life is in my breast,
An' I'll dance on your grave
When you lay sweet at rest.
So off from her fingers
She pulled three gold rings,
Oh wear these, my true love,
When you dance over me.
For I love you, I love you,
I love you, it is true,
Remember forever
I love no one but you.
So farewell, my father,
An' farewell, my friends,
So farewell, my true love,
May God make amends.
My soul shall be drafted
Away to the sky,
Ten thousands, ten thousands
Are my folly, I see.
1. Was more than her wealth at the best.
2. "Unless I am forced." or "Without being forced."
3. So now I'll reward you,
For what's past and gone.