The King's Daughter- Snodgrass (TN) 1950 Boswell
[From Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee; Boswell and TFSB, XVII, No. 4 (December 1951), pp. 86-87, also Bronson 16. No date given-- this version may have originated in the early 1800s but no specific information is given about the date of the ballad. (like--When did your father learn it? Who did he learn it from?) Her father, William Evans Snodgrass, was born about 1860 from Sparta, and his grandfather came from southwestern Virgina where it is thought this version originated.
R. Matteson 2014]
"The King's Daughter"- collected Boswell, sung by Mrs. Jane Snodgrass Johnson, Nashville, Tenn., June 24, 1950; learned from her father, W. E. Snodgrass, and brought perhaps from the vicinity of Mount Vernon, Va.
1. 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.
z. 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."
3. 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.
4. "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.
5. "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 sa, sea, sea,
To rot in the old salt sea."
6. "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."
7. 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.
8. "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."
9. "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted knave;
Lie there in room of me.
You'd have stripped nee as naked as e'er I was born,
And I ne'er took a stitch from thee, thee, thee,
And I ne'er took a stitch from thee."
10. 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.
11. 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?"
12. "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."
13. 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?"
14. "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."