Pretty Polly

X:101
T:Pretty Polly
T:Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight
C:Trad
B:Bronson
O:Barry, Eckstorm, and Smyth, "British Ballads from Maine",I929, p. XXVii.
Text,
O:Barry MSS., IV, No. 206. Sung by Milton H. Osborn, Vineland,
O:N.J., February I7, I907; learned from his older sister in Missouri.
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C
C | G G/>A/ c G | A G G C |
w:Mount up, mount* up, my pretty Pol-ly, And
G A c A | G3 G | c G A C | F A G A |
w:come a-long with me, I'll take thee to the far Scot-land, And
G G F D | C D E A | G G F D | C3 |]
w:there I'll mar-ry thee, thee, thee, And there I'll mar-ry thee!
W:
W:"Mount up, mount up, my pretty Polly,
W:And come along with me,
W:And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
W:And there I'll marry thee, thee, thee,
W:And there I'll marry thee!"
W:
W:Then they went to her father's stable,
W:And viewed the stalls around,
W:He chose out the dapple gray,
W:And she the pony brown.
W:
W:She mounted upon the little pony brown,
W:And he on the dapple gray,
W:And they rode and they rode thro' the merry green woods,
W:Till they came to the side of the sea.
W:
W:"Light off, light off, my pretty Polly,
W:Light off, light off," said he,
W:"For 6 King's daughters I've drownded here,
W:And the seventh you shall be!"
W:
W:"Take off these costly robes of silk,
W:And fold them upon your knee,
W:For it is a shame . . .
W:To rot in the salt water sea!"
W:
W:"Turn your face quite round about,
W:With your face to the leaves on the tree . .
W:(Something about a naked woman follows-
W:not recollected.)
W:
W:. . . . .
W:. . . . . .
W:And she picked him up quite manfully,
W:And threw him into the sea.
W:
W:"Lie there, lie there you false-hearted wretch
W:Lie there in the place of me!
W:For 6 King's daughters you've drownded here,
W:And the seventh has drowaded thee!"
W:
W:"O help me out, my pretty Polly,
W:O help me outl" cried he,
W:"And I'll take thee to the far Scotland,
W:And there I'll marry thee!"
W:
W:She mounted upon her little pony brown,
W:And led the dapple gray.
W:. . . . . .
W:. . . . . .
W:(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in
W:which the parrot asks Polly where she has been.)
W:
W:"O hold your tongue, my pretty parrot,
W:And tell no lies on me,
W:And I'll line your cage with the pure yellow gold,
W:And hang it on a green willow tree!"
W:(Then followed some lines, not recollected, in
W:which Polly's father asks the parrot what is
W:the matter.)
W:
W:"The cat she came to my cage window door,
W:And threatened to devour me,
W:And I called up my pretty Polly
W:To drive the cat away!"

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