Pretty Polly- Bill Cassidy (Wicklow) c.1975
["From Puck to Appleby (MTCD325-6), Songs and stories from Jim Carroll's and Pat Mackenzie's recordings of Irish Travellers in England."
R. Matteson 2018]
Bill Cassidy, (‘Pop’s’ Johnny’s brother-in-law), Co Wicklow. ‘Pop’s’ Johnny Connors, (related to the famous family of traditional musicians, the Dorans), Co Wexford.
Pretty Polly- sung by Bill Cassidy of Co Wicklow.
This pretty young boy came
From the North Strand,
And he came a-wooing to me,
And he promised he'd marry me
Down by the North Strand,
And there he'd marry me.
"If you get some of your
Mamma's ould gold,
And get more of your daddy's fee,
And get two the best horses
He had in the stable,
Where there were thirty-three."
Now she got up on her
Milk white steed,
And him on the dapple grey,
For she rode down by her
Own father’s hall door.
It was three long hours before day.
They rode down along 'til they
Come to the North Strand,
For to watch all th’ould waves going by.
"Get it down, get down
Pretty Polly", he said,
"Get it down, get down for me;
For it’s six little girls
I have drownded here,
And you'll be my seventh shall be."
"Your silks and your satins,
You must take them off,
And reliver them up unto me."
"If it's my silks and my satins,
I must take them off,
Please turn your back for me."
He turned his back down
For the North Strand,
For to watch all the waves a-going by.
When she caught him around
By the middle so grand,
And she flung him right in to the deep.
Saying he swum high,
And he swum low,
Until he swum to the sea shore.
Saying, "One hould to your hand,
Pretty Polly," he said,
"Sure as sentence, I'll make you my bride."
Saying, "It’s stop where you are,
You false hearted young man"
Saying, "It’s stop where you are," said she.
"For I think you been
Too big a blaggard
For a naked young woman like me."
Now she gets up on her
Milk white steed,
And she lead the dapple grey.
For she rode back to her
Own father's hall door,
It was three long hours before day.
"What ailed you, what ailed you?"
The father he cried,
Saying, "What have you home before day?"
"Hold tongue, hold tongue,
Pretty Polly", she said,
"Don't tell any tales upon me,
And I'll have your cage
Of a litter and gold (glittering gold)
And your door of the grand ivory."
________________
The ballad of Lady Isobel and the Elf Knight has been found in various forms throughout Europe, the earliest printed text being from a German broadside dated 1550.
A L Lloyd in Folk Song in England, linked the story to an engraving on a sword scabbard dated 300 BC, which is now in The Leningrad (St Petersburg) Museum. It certainly seems to have caught the imagination of traditional singers, many versions having appeared throughout England and Scotland, though it seems not to be particularly widespread in Ireland. Sam Henry had it as The King of Spain’s Daughter from William Hegarty of Ballydevitt in Co Derry and, more recently, Cornelius ‘Corny’ McDaid of Buncrana, Co Donegal, sang a very full version as False Lover John. We recorded it in full and in part, from half a dozen Irish Travellers. Tom Munnelly obtained a version very similar to Bill’s from another Traveller, Jim Cassidy, who is possibly Bill’s brother (see Folk Music Journal 1975, p17).
Bill said that he learned the song from his parents who both had it.
Ref: Folk Song in England, A L Lloyd, Lawrence and Wishart, 1967.
Other CDs: Sarah Porter - MTCD 309-10; Jumbo Brightwell - Rounder CD1741 & Veteran VT140CD; Fred Jordan - Rounder CD1775 & Topic TSCD 600; Mary Ann Haynes - Topic TSCD 661; Lena Bourne Fish - Appleseed APRCD1035.