Tell-tale Polly; Sung by Charley Fox; Charley Fox's Minstrel's Companion 1863
[From Charley Fox's Minstrel's Companion (Philadelphia, Turner & Fisher with music edited by Frank B. Converse) p. 52, "Tell-Tale Polly. Comic Ballad. (As sung by Charley Fox.) Uses the "Lovel Lovel" comic form.
R. Matteson 2011, 2104]
TELL-TALE POLLY- As sung by Charley Fox 1863
She mounted on her bonny, bonny brown,
And she led the dapple gray,
So merrily she rode by the merry greenwood
Till she came to the brink of the sea,
Till she came to the brink of the sea.
Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me;
'Tis six fair maidens you have drowned in the sea,
And the seventh one you shall be, &c.
She mounted on her bonny, bonny brown,
And she led the dapple gray;
So merrily she rode by the merry greenwood,
So long before it was day, &c.
The parrot overheard the noise,
And unto her did say,
What was the matter, my pretty little lass,
So long before 'twas day? &c.
The father overheard the noise,
And unto her did say,
What is the matter with my darling little child
So long before the broke cf day? &c.
There is a cat at my cage-door,
And it swears it will have me;
And I have come to call my Collin dear,
To drive the cat away, &c.
Oh, hush! oh hush! my pretty, pretty poll,
And tell no tales on me:
Your cage shall be made of pure beaten gold,
And your door of ivory-ee, &c.
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Bronson # 25 [Listing ABC site]
T:Tell-tale Polly
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Charley Fox's Minstrel's Companion,
O:n.d., p. 52 (photostat copy, Phillips Barry Collection,
O:Harvard College Library).
N:Bronson has measure 6 as | dedB G3 e |. I changed it to
N:match the words. He also has an alternate measure 7:
N:| d2 c2 A2 B2 |
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Gmix % Hexatonic ( -7) Ionian/Mixolydian
Bc | d2 d2 e3 e | dedB G2 Bc |
w:She* mount-ed on her bon-ny, bon-ny brown, And she
d2 d2 g3 B | d2 z2 z2 z d | gggg d2 BB |
w:led the dapp-le gray, So merr-i-ly she rode by the
dedB G2 ee | d2 cc A2 BB |
w:mer-ry green-*wood Till she came to the brink of the
G2 A2 B2 ee | d2 BB A2 BB | G2 z2 z2 |]
w:sea__ Till she came to the brink of the sea.
W:
W:She mounted on her bonny, bonny brown,
W:And she led the dapple gray,
W:So merrily she rode by the merry greenwood
W:Till she came to the brink of the sea,
W:Till she came to the brink of the sea.
W:
W:Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
W:Lie there instead of me;
W:'Tis six fair maidens you have drowned in the sea,
W:And the seventh one you shall be, &c.
W:
W:She mounted on her bonny, bonny brown,
W:And she led the dapple gray:
W:So merrily she rode by the merry greenwood,
W:So long before it was day, &c.
W:
W:The parrot overheard the noise,
W:And unto her did say,
W:What was the matter, my pretty little lass,
W:So long before 'twas day? &c.
W:
W:The father overheard the noise,
W:And unto her did say,
W:What is the matter with my darling little child
W:So long before the broke cf day? &c.
W:
W:There is a cat at my cage-door,
W:And it swears it will have me;
W:And I have come to call my Collin dear,
W:To drive the cat away, &c.
W:
W:Oh, hush! oh hush! my pretty, pretty poll,
W:And tell no tales on me:
W:Your cage shall be made of pure beaten gold,
W:And your door of ivory-ee, &c.