Willie Come Over the Ocean- Briscoe (AR) 1953 Parler
[From the Ozark Collection Reel 156, Item 6. Colected by M.C. Parler titled, Willie Came Over the Ocean.
R. Matteson 2014]
Briscoe comments, "Now I'll sing about the feller that drownded so many king's daughters, an' then one of 'em drownded him at the wind-up. Willie Come Over the Ocean is the heading of it."
Willie Come Over the Ocean- Sung by Mrs. Mary Briscoe, Berryville, Ark. Oct. 20, 1953
Oh, Willie came o'er the main, wide ocean,
Willie came o'er the sea,
And Willie came to my father's house,
Come a-courting home with me, me, me,
Come a-courting home with me.
He follered me up, he follered me down,
he follered me far and wide,
I had no tongue to tell him to go,
No tongue to tell him to stay, stay, stay,
No tongue to tell him to stay.
Oh, go get half of your father's weight in gold,
And half of your mother's estate,
And git two of your father's horses,
Take choice of the thirty and eight, eight, eight,
Take choice of the thirty and eight.
She mounted, she mounted the bonny, bonny brown,
And he rode the dapple gray,
And they rode right straight to the river bank,
Three long hours before it was day, day, day,
Three long hours before it was day.
Dismount, dismount, my pretty fair maid,
I've something to tell unto thee,
Six other king's daughters I've drownded here,
And the seventh you will be, be, be,
And the seventh you will be.
Hold your tongue, you false-hearted man,
That was not what you told me,
You told me you would take me to the river-side,
And there married we would be, be, be,
And married we would be.
Oh, pull off those rich clothing,
That's made of linen so fine,
For they're too rich and too costilee
FOR to lie and to rot in the sea, sea, sea,
For to lie and to rot in the sea.
If I must pull off my rich clothing,
You must turn yore back unto me,
And think what a shame and a scandal 'twould be,
For a nekkid[1] woman to see, see, see,
For a nekkid woman to see.
He turned his face around and about,
And he viewed the leaves on the tree,
And she stepped most mournfully
And she plunged him in the sea, sea, sea,
And she plunged him in the sea.
Reach down yore hands, my pretty pollee
Reach down yore hands to me,
For six other king's daughters I've drownded here,
But the seventh you shan't be, be, be
But the seventh you shan't be.
I'll not reach down my hands to thee,
I'll not reach down to thee,
For six other king's daughters I've drownded here,
But the seventh you shan't be, be, be
But the seventh you shan't be.
She mounted, she mounted the bonny, bonny brown,
And she led[2] the dapple gray,
And she rode right back to her father's house,
Three long hours before it was day, day, day,
Three long hours before it was day.
Where have you bee, my pretty Pol-lee,
Where have you been cried she,
I've been with the richest man on earth,
And drownded him in the sea,sea, sea,
And drownded him in the sea.
1. naked
2. rode with (led) in quotes probably added by Parler since rode makes no sense here.