The King's Daughter- Johnson (TN) 1950 Boswell
[From Folk Song Bulletin, XVII, No. 4 (December 1951), pp. 86-87. Sung by Mrs. Jane Snodgrass Johnson, Nashville, Tenn., June 4, 1950; learned from her father, W. E. Snodgrass, and brought perhaps from the vicinity of Mount Vernon, Va. Collected by George Boswell.
R. Matteson 2014]
"The King's Daughter"- Sung by Mrs. Jane Snodgrass Johnson, Nashville, Tenn., June 4, 1950;
He was mounted on a milk-white steed,
And he led a dappled gray,
And he rode till he came to the old king's house
Six hours before it was day, day, day,
Six hours before it was day.
He softly called the princess fair,
"Come ride abroad with me,
And I will take you to fair Scotland
And there I'll marry with thee, thee, thee,
And there I'll marry with thee."
He rode upon the milk-white steed
And she the dappled gray,
And they rode till they came to the old salt sea
Three hours before it was day, day, day,
Three hours before it was day.
"Get off your mount, my pretty fair maid,
And come stand here by me,
For here I've drownded the sixth king's daughter
And you the seventh shall be, be, be,
And you the seventh shall be.
"Take off that gown, that Holland gown,
And lay it here by me,
For it's too fine and too costly
To rot in the old salt sea, sea, sea,
To rot in the old salt sea."
"Oh, turn your face away from me
To the bright green leaves on the trees;
It never shall be said such a villain as you
A naked princess did see, see, see,
A naked princess did see."
He turned his eyes away from her
To the bright green leaves on the trees,
And she picked him up so strong in her arms
And flung him into the sea, sea, sea,
And flung him into the sea.
"Come help, come help, my pretty fair maid,
Forgive and succor me,
And I'll yet take thee to fair Scotland
And there I'll marry with thee, thee, thee,
And there I'll marry with thee."
"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted knave;
Lie there in room of me.
You'd have stripped me as naked as ever I was born,
And I ne'er took a stitch from thee, thee, thee,
And I ne'er took a stitch from thee."
She mounted on the milk-white steed,
And she led the dappled gray,
And she rode till she came to her father's house
One hour before it was day, day, day,
One hour before it was day.
Up spoke the old parrot from her cage door,
And loudly did she say:
"Where've you been, my pretty princess,
So long before it is day, day, day,
So long before it is day?"
"Hush up, hush up, my pretty Polly;
Don't tell any tales on me,
And your cage shall be lined with a wind-beaten gold
Hung on yon willow tree, tree, tree,
Hung on yon willow tree."
Up spoke the old king from his chamber,
From his chamber where he lay:
"Who are you calling, my pretty Polly,
So long before it is day, day, day,
So long before it is day?"
"The old cat came to my cage door
For to devour me,
And I was calling my pretty princess
To drive the cat away, 'way, 'way,
To drive the cat away."
---------------
X:16
T:The King's Daughter
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:"The King's Daughter." George W. Boswell, Tennessee
O:Folk Song Bulletin, XVII, No. 4 (December I95I), pp. 86-87.
O:Sung by Mrs. Jane Snodgrass Johnson, Nashville, Tenn.,
O:June 4, I950; learned from her father, W. E. Snodgrass,
O:and brought perhaps from the vicinity of Mount Vernon, Va.
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Gmix % Pentatonic ( -4 -7) Lydian/Ionian/Mixolydian [Pi 1]
DD | G2 G2 B3 A | G2 E2 G2 GG |
w:He was mounted on a milk-white steed, And he
A3 A B2 e2 | d6 DD | [M:5/4] G2 GG g2 e3 d |
w:led a dapp-led gray, And he rode till he came to the
[M:4/4] ed B2 A2 G2 | A3 B AG E2 | G2 G2 B2 d2 | A3 B AG E2 | G6 |]
w:old_ king's house Six hours be-fore it was day, day, day, Six hours
be-fore it was day.
W:He was mounted on a milk-white steed,
W:And he led a dappled gray,
W:And he rode till he came to the old king's house
W:Six hours before it was day, day, day,
W:Six hours before it was day.
W:
W:He softly called the princess fair,
W:"Come ride abroad with me,
W:And I will take you to fair Scotland
W:And there I'll marry with thee, thee, thee,
W:And there I'll marry with thee."
W:
W:He rode upon the milk-white steed
W:And she the dappled gray,
W:And they rode till they came to the old salt sea
W:Three hours before it was day, day, day,
W:Three hours before it was day.
W:
W:"Get off your mount, my pretty fair maid,
W:And come stand here by me,
W:For here I've drownded the sixth king's daughter
W:And you the seventh shall be, be, be,
W:And you the seventh shall be.
W:
W:"Take off that gown, that Holland gown,
W:And lay it here by me,
W:For it's too fine and too costly
W:To rot in the old salt sea, sea, sea,
W:To rot in the old salt sea."
W:
W:"Oh, turn your face away from me
W:To the bright green leaves on the trees;
W:It never shall be said such a villain as you
W:A naked princess did see, see, see,
W:A naked princess did see."
W:
W:He turned his eyes away from her
W:To the bright green leaves on the trees,
W:And she picked him up so strong in her arms
W:And flung him into the sea, sea, sea,
W:And flung him into the sea.
W:
W:"Come help, come help, my pretty fair maid,
W:Forgive and succor me,
W:And I'll yet take thee to fair Scotland
W:And there I'll marry with thee, thee, thee,
W:And there I'll marry with thee."
W:
W:"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted knave;
W:Lie there in room of me.
W:You'd have stripped me as naked as eter I was born,
W:And I ne'er took a stitch from thee, thee, thee,
W:And I ne'er took a stitch from thee."
W:
W:She mounted on the milk-white steed,
W:And she led the dappled gray,
W:And she rode till she came to her father's house
W:One hour before it was day, day, day,
W:One hour before it was day.
W:
W:Up spoke the old parrot from her cage door,
W:And loudly did she say:
W:"Where've you been, my pretty princess,
W:So long before it is day, day, day,
W:So long before it is day?"
W:
W:"Hush up, hush up, my pretty Polly;
W:Don't tell any tales on me,
W:And your cage shall be lined with a wind-beaten gold
W:Hung on yon willow tree, tree, tree,
W:Hung on yon willow tree."
W:
W:Up spoke the old king from his chamber,
W:From his chamber where he lay:
W:"Who are you calling, my pretty Polly,
W:So long before it is day, day, day,
W:So long before it is day?"
W:
W:"The old cat came to my cage door
W:For to devour me,
W:And I was calling my pretty princess
W:To drive the cat awav, 'way, 'way,
W:To drive the cat away."