Pretty Polly (ballad)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Pretty Polly" (Roud 15) is a traditional English-language folk song found both in the British Isles and in the Appalachian region of North America.
The song is a murder ballad, telling of a young woman lured into the forest where she is killed and buried in a shallow grave. It has its roots in earlier songs from the British Isles, particularly The Gosport Tragedy.
Many folk artists have presented their own versions including Judy Collins, The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, Bert Jansch, Dave Sless, Dock Boggs, and Davey Graham.
One of the versions is notably the musical basis for Ballad of Hollis Brown by Bob Dylan who played 'Pretty Polly' himself in his early years.
