Hi,

From: James Madison Carpenter Collection, JMC/1/8/1/E, pp. 11721-11722
Reference Code        AFC 1972/001, MS pp. 04924- 04926. Parrot is named Polly, missing the "prattle" stanza

Outlandish Knight- sung by Mrs Sarah Phelps of Avening, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. Collected by Carpenter about 1930. Learned as a girl over 50 years ago; from mother, and neighbors; never learned from print.

1. An outlandish knight came from the northwest
He came a-'ooing me;
He told me he'd take me unto the northwest,
An' there he would marry me.

2   "Go fetch me some of your father's gold,
An' some of your mother's fee,
An' two of the best nags out of the stable,
Where there stands thirty an' three."

3    She fetched him some of her father's gold,
An' some of her mother's fee,
An' two of the very best nags out of the stable,
Where there stood thirty an' three.

4    She mounted her on her lily-white steed,
He on the dapple grey;
They rode till they came unto the seaside,
Three hours before it was day.

5    "Mount off, mount off thy lily-white steed,
An' deliver it unto me;
For six pretty maidens have I drowned here,
An' the seventh thou shalt be.

6   "Take off, take off thy silken dress,
An' deliver it unto me;
For I thinks it looks too rich by far
To rot all in the salt sea."

7   "If I must take off my silken dress,
Pray turn your back to me;
For it is not fitting that such a ruffian
A naked woman should see."

8    He turned his back towards her
An' viewed the leaves so green;
She caught him round the middle so small,
An' bundled him into the sea.

9    He growped high and he growped low,
Until he came to the side;
"Take hoult o' my hand, my pretty lady,
An' I will make you my bride.'

10   "Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there instead of me;
For if six pretty maids thou hast drowned here,
The seventh hath drowned thee.'

11    She mounted on her lily-white steed,
An' led the debble grey;
She rode till she came to her own father's door,
Three hours before it was day.

12    The parrot being up in the window so high,
An' seein' his lady, did say,
"I fear that some ruffian hath led you astray,
That you've tarried so long away."

13 The king being up in the chamber so high,
An' hearin' the parrot did say,
"What ails you, what ails you, my pretty Polly,
That you prattle so long before day?"

14 "It's no laughing matter," the parrot replied,
"That so loudly I called unto thee,
For the cats have gotten into the window so high,
An' I'm afraid they will have me."

15    "Well turned, well turned, my pretty Polly,
Well turned, well turned for me;
Thy cage shall be made of some glittering gold,
An' the door of the best ivory."

* * * *

Richie