He follered me up, he follered me down, He follered me day by day

voiceCollected and transcribed by Sung by Mrs. Allie Long Parker Mary Celestia Parler Hog Scald Holler, Arkansas April 6, 1958 Reel 299, Item 2 Loving Polly (Child #4) He follered me up, he follered me down, He follered me day by day, I hadn’t the parr (power) to bid him begone, Nor the tongue to tell him Nay, Nay. Nor the tongue to tell him Nay, Nay. Nor the tongue to tell him Nay, Nay. Go take a part of your father’s gold, Likewise your mother's fee, Two fastest horses in your father's stable, Where there stands thirty and three, Where there stands thirty and three, Where there stands thirty and three. I went and took part of my father's gold, Likewise my mother's fee, Two fastest horses in my father's stable Where there stood thirty and three, Where there stood thirty and three, Where there stood thirty and three. It's he got on the milk-white steed, I rode the dapple-gray, We rode and we rode to the salt, salt sea, Three hours before it was day, Three hours before it was day, Three hours before it was day. Alight you down, my pretty Pollee, Alight you down, cried he, It's six king's daughters I've drownded here And the seventh one you shall be, And the seventh one you shall be, And the seventh one you shall be. Take off, take off, that ... gown, And fold it on my knee, (Cont'd) Loving Polly Reel 299, Item Continued For it is too rich and costilee To rot in the salt sea sea, To rot in the salt sea sea, To rot in the salt sea sea. Oh, turn you back all unto me And view yon willow tree, For an un-gowned woman's too much of a sight For any mankind to see, For any mankind to see, For any mankind to see. He turned his back all unto her To view yon willow tree, She caught him around the middle so small And tossed him into the sea, And tossed him into the sea, And tossed him into the sea. Ah, reach me your hand, my pretty Pollee, Oh, reach me your hand, cried he, And every promise I made to you I'll double in folds three three, I'll double in folds three three, I'll double in folds three three. Lay there, lay there, you false-hearted wretch, Lay there, lay there, cried she. It's six king's daughters you've drownded here, But the seventh one I won't be, But the seventh one I won't be, But the seventh one I won't be. She got on the milk-white steed, And led the dapple-gray, She rode and rode to her father's stable One hour before it was day, One hour before it was day, One hour before it was day. She went and put back her father's gold, Likewise her mother's fee, (Cont'd) Loving Polly Reel 299, Item 2 Continued Two fastest horses in her father’s stable Where there stood thirty-and-three, Where there stood thirty-and-three, Where there stood thirty-and-three. Hush up, hush up, my pretty parrot, Don't tell no tales on me, And your cage shall be made of the finest of gold And your door of ivoree, And your door of ivoree, And your door of ivoree. "Learnt that from my dad."Funding for digitization provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council and the Happy Hollow Foundation