Purty Polly- Riley (FL) pre1950 Morris A
[From Folksongs of Florida; Morris, 1950- in the English and Scottish Songs section. Morris' notes follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
LADY ISABEL AND THE ELF KNIGHT
(Child, No. 4)
In his headnote to this ballad Chiid has pointed out that it is one of the most widely disseminated ballads. it persists throughout the southern and the northern nations of Europe, having extraordinary currency in Poland, in Germany, and in Scandinavia. Belden, pp. 5-6, adds that it is known in France as the bailad of Renaud, the killer of ladies. Grundvig has made a study of its sociological import and has attempted to plot its dissimination. The motif of the talking and helpful bird is one of the oldest folktale motifs, as the Aarne-Thompson Motif Index shows. Variant C, not included here, assigns the following motive
for the parrot's speaking before day:
There's a cat around my cage door,
A-trving to viper me.
The Florida Variant A prominently retains the modesty motif. The "false-hearted villain" of the Child version becomes "the dirty dog" in Variant A of the Florida collection. "To turn the stitch" on one is an interesting variation of "to turn the tables."
For references to English broadside ballads and recent reports of the ballad in the English folksong tradition and for a host of American references, the headnote to the Belden variants. pp. 5-6, will furnish a "god's plenty." For a few references which have appearer since the publication of the Missouri collection, see Cox, BMWV, pp. 1-5: Brewster, pp. 31-41; Davis, Folksongs, 4-5 and Randolph, I, 4I-47.
A. "Purty Polly." Recorded from the singing of Mrs. J. E. Riley, High Springs. She learned the song from her mother, who had learned it in Union County, near Macclenny. Her people, originally from North Carolina, have lived in Florida for over four generations.
"Come go with me, purty Polly," said he;
"Come go along with me;
I'll carry you down to my father's hall,
Where there's horses twenty and three, three, three,
Where there's twenty-three.
"Put on, put on, your milk-white robes,
And go along with me;
I'll carry you down to my father's house,
Where married we shall be, be, be,
Where married we shall be."
She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And he the iron gray;
They rode till they came to the deep water side,
Just about four hours till day, day, day,
Just about four hours till day.
She mounted the milk-white steed,
And he the iron gray,
And rode all night and all day
Till they came to the water that looked so broad and so gay, gay, gay,
That looked so broad and gay.
"Oh light you down, purty Polly," said he;
"Oh light you down to me,
For it's six of the king's daughters I've drowned here,
And the seventh you shall be, be, be,
And the seventh you shall be.
"Pull off, pull off, your costly robe,
And hang it on a tree,
For it cost too much of your father's gold
To mold[1] in the bottom of the sea, sea, sea,
To mold in the bottom of the sea."
"Oh turn your face toward the deep blue sea,
And turn your back upon me,
For it never should be said
A naked woman a man should see, see, see,
A naked woman a man should see."
While standing around and. a-gazing about
With his eyes on every tree,
She picked him up quite manfully,
And she landed him in the sea, sea, sea,
And she landed him in the sea.
"Oh hand me your hand, purty Polly," said he;
"Hand me your hand for me,
For it's six of the king's daughters I've drowned here,
But the seventh I shall be, be, be,
But the seventh I shall be."
"Lie there, oh lie there, you dirty dog;
Lie there and think of me;
In a moment more you'd a had me there,
But I turned the stitch on thee, thee, thee,
But I turned the stitch on thee."
"Oh lend me your hand, purty Polly," said he;
"Just lend your hand to me,
And I'll take you down to Margold County,
And married we shall be, be, be,
And married we shall be."
"Lie there, oh lie there, you villain," said she;
"Lie there, oh lie there for me,
For it never will be said such a villain as you
Shall drown me in the sea, sea, sea,
Shall drown me in the sea."
She mounted on her milk-white steed,
And she led the iron gray,
And she came to her father's house
Just two hours before it was day, day, day,
Just two hours before it was day.
"Oh why are you singing so early in the morning?
Oh why are you singing?" said she.
"I'm a-singing for my purty Polly
That's a-staying away from me, me, me,
That's a-staying away from me."
"Hush, O hush, my purty parrot,
And don't you tell on me;
Your cage shall be made of the bright shining gold,
And hung on some high willow tree, tree, tree,
And hung on some high willow tree."
1. moulder