Hi,

I'll conclude the "Fly Around" examples with his brief excerpt from my US headnotes:

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Versions of "Fly Around" have been called "composites" by the Brown Collection editors and others but unfortunately, they do not have any idea what the original stanzas are and have not supplied its provenance. Simply stated, "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" is derived from "Seventeen" and those stanzas would be part of the original. This original would have been formed in the US south shortly after arrival in the New World by British immigrants. The date could be as early as the late 1700s and no later than the early 1800s. Since the original stanzas do not tell a story and are randomly arranged-- "Fly Around" is simply a courting song, not a ballad. The original stanzas include these from the four forms of "Seventeen" mixed with other floating stanzas from other courting songs. I've taken the following stanzas from US versions of "Seventeen" instead of British ones:

[opening] As I walked out one morning in May
Just as the day was dawning,
There I spied a pretty little Miss
So early in the morning. [Sharp A, 1918, Virginia]

[opening] Way down yonder in the Maple [Cedar] swamp,
The water's deep and muddy.
There I spied my pretty little miss,
O there I spied my honey. [Thompson, 1916 Texas]

[Core] How old are you, my pretty little Miss?
How old are you, my honey?
She answered me, te hee hee hee,
I'll be sixteen next Sunday." [Sharp A, 1918, Virginia]

[Core- Identifying- original form] So fare you well, my pretty little Miss,
So fare you well, my honey.
It's all I want to know of you,
You've got one darned old mummy. [Sharp A, 1918, Virginia]

[Core] Will you marry me my pretty little miss,
Will you marry me my honey?"
She answered me with a "Uh, uh, huh,
I would if it wasn't for mommy." [My Pretty Maid, Oklahoma before c.1950.]

[Core Variant] Will you marry me, my pretty little Pink?
Will you marry me, my honey ?
Will you marry me, my pretty little Pink?
I'll marry you next Sunday. [Tennessee, about 1930 Henry A]

[Core variant] "Where are you going, my pretty pretty maid?
Where are you going, my darling?
Down to the river to water my geese
and over the river to Charlie." [My Pretty Maid, Oklahoma before c.1950.]

These fundamental stanzas from US versions of "Seventeen" are some of the presumed original stanzas of "Fly Around" and include several courting questions.

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Richie