Lyr. Add: THE KING'S SEVEN DAUGHTERS

"Go bring me some of your father's gold,
Likewise your mother's keys,
And bring your father's best horses,
Where they stand by thirty and three, three, three,
Where they stand by thirty and three"

She got some of her father's gold,
Likewise her mother's keys,
And two of her father's best horses,
Where they stood by thirty and three, three, three,
Where they stood by thirty and three.

She mounted upon the milk-white steed,
And led the dapple gray,
She rode and she rode the livelong night,
Till she come to the salt water sea, sea, sea,
Till she come to the salt water sea.

"Light down, light down, my pretty fair maid,
Light down in the cause of me,
For six of the king's daughters I've drownded here,
And you the seventh shall be, be, be,
And you the seventh shall be."

"Pull off that costly robe," he said,
"And fold it on my knee,
It cost too much of your father's gold,
To rot in the salt water sea, sea, sea,
To rot in the salt water sea."

"O turn your body around about,
And view the leaves of the tree,
You're too much of a gentleman,
An undressed lady to see, see, see,
An undressed lady to see."

He turned his body around about,
And viewed the leaves of the tree,
She caught him round his slender waist,
And tripped him into the sea, sea, sea,
And tripped him into the sea.

"O help me out, my pretty fair maid,
O help me out," said he,
"I'll take you to some far off land,
And married we will be, be, be,
And married we will be."

"Lie there, lie there, you false-hearted man,
Lie there in the cause of me,
For six of the king's daughters you've drownded here,
And you the seventh shall be, be, be,
And you the seventh shall be."

She mounted upon the milk-white steed,
And led the dapple grey,
She rode till she came to her father's cot,
Two hours before it was day, day, day,
Two hours before it was day.

"Where have you been," my pretty Polly said,
"O where have you been," said she,
"I've cried, I've cried the livelong night,
To be alone with thee, thee, thee,
To be alone with thee."

"Hush up, hush up, my parrot dear,
Don't tell no tales on me,
A golden cage that you shall have,
With doors of ivory, ry, ry,
With doors of ivory."

pp. 21-22, B. H. Bronson, "The Singing Tradition of Child's Popular Ballads."
With music. 124, "The King's Seven Daughters." Halpert, LC/AAFS, rec. 2954 B1. Sung by Mrs. Theodosia Bonnett Long, Saltillo, Mississippi, 1939.
"This variant has been transcribed from the phonograph record. An earlier performance appears in Arthur P. Hudson, "Folk Tunes from Mississippi," 1937, No. 10, where it has a 3/4 meter but no other melodic differences. The words are mainly the same."

A much better story, and song, than "The (Lonely) Willow Tree."