Pretty Polly

X:104
T:Pretty Polly
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Davis, "Traditional Ballads of Virginia",I929, p. 550(P); text, pp. 83-84.
O:Sung by an old lady in Lee County, Va., November 3, T920. Collected by Olive
O:Flora Bryson.
N:With this variant, cf. "Pretty Peggy O" (Sharp and Karpeles, 1932,
N:II, p. 59(B), a version of the Scottish "Lass o' Fyvie").
M:2/4
L:1/8
K:Am % but modulating to Ddor on the last line
G | AA eA | cB HA G | AA dB |
w:
A3 G | AA/A/ eA | cB/G/ HF B |
w:
AA/A/ GE | DE G B | AA/A/ GE | D3 |]
w:
W:
W:"Hush, hush, my pretty Polly dear,
W:Don't tell any tales on me.
W:Your cage shall be made of yellow beaten gold
W:And hung in a willow tree, -e, -e,
W:And hung in a willow tree."
W:
W:"She rode away on a milk-white steed
W:And led the dapple gray
W:. . . . . . . . .
W:Three hours before break of day."
W:
W:The father hears her go out and questions the
W:parrot, who replies:
W:
W:"A bold cat came to my cage door
W:And threatened to worry me (or, threatened war with me)
W:And I was calling to my pretty Polly dear
W:To drive the cat away, away,
W:To drive the cat away."
W:
W:They come to a deep pool, the knight secures
W:her jewels and sings:
W:
W:. . . . . . .
W:. . . . . .
W:"Six king's daughters I've drownded here
W:And the seventh one you shall be, -e,-e,
W:And the seventh one you shall be."
W:
W:There is a struggle, thc maid frees herself and
W:throws the knight into thc pool, then sings:
W:
W:"Lie there, lie there, you false young man,
W:. . . . . . . .
W:For six king's daughters you've drownded here
W:But the seventh one's drownded you, -u, -u,
W:But the seventh one's drownded you."