Lyr Req: Polly Von

Subject: LYRICS REQ.
From: TonyK.
Date: 23 Aug 98 - 09:13 PM

Does anyone have the lyrics to a song that Peter, Paul, and Mary did called "Polly Von", about a young man who killed his lover after mistaking her for a swan? Many thanks.

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 23 Aug 98 - 09:57 PM

G'day TonyK,

I'm sure you will get a flood of versions from the Irish/Celtic contingent whose song it is, but I note that at least one version is collected here in Australia, far from the Irish mist and ghostly white swans (our swans are black). This came from a wonderful old lady, Sally Sloane who would have learned it from her Irish grandmother Sarah Alexander.

I think this has ended up with a corrupted title "Polly Vaughan", as if it were a surname but the original is an Irish Gaelic word (something like 'bhan' ... and pronounced 'vorn'), possibly an endearment.

I will dig our version out and keyboard in a MIDI/ABC of her tune as well - for those interested in a variant, a long way from home.

Regards and Good Luck,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From:
Date: 23 Aug 98 - 11:43 PM

Check the data base. There are 3 Polly and 1 Molly there.

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 12:21 AM

Click here to get to the Peter, Paul and Mary home page. I think they have all the lyrics for all the songs.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: Dale Rose
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 02:07 AM

Then there are those of us who first heard it as Polly Vaughn from the still magical Dillards on their Back Porch Bluegrass album a few years ago. . . (was it really 1963?) There is a sound clip at Tunes on their There Is A Time sampler CD released in 1991. I also checked out CDUniverse, but they had it on back order, and Music Boulevard and CDNow did not have sound clips.

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: JB3
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 04:39 AM

I learned Polly Vaughan from Jennifer Armstrong, sitting under a tree at the Knoxville Dance Weekend many moons ago. She said that in the earlier (Scottish?) versions, Polly was a witch that shape-changed herself into a swan to check up on her lover to make sure he wasn't dallying with another girl and the tragedy followed. I believe Jenny is the daughter of Frankie Armstrong, not sure.

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 24 Aug 98 - 08:30 PM

G'day TonyK and all,

I found Sally Sloane's (Australian collected) version. It goes under the name Molly Baun Lavery and I don't know where the Lavery comes from as it always just Molly Baun in the song.

I will post this version as LYR ADD: Molly Baun Lavery in a new thread, along with MIDI/ABC of the tune as Sally sang it.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

Subject: RE: LYRICS REQ.
From: TonyK
Date: 25 Aug 98 - 12:18 AM

Thank you all.