[Verse 1] Young William told his Polly That she would be his bride But William dreamed of foreign ports And oceans open wide He wanted out, he wanted gone No girl to make him stay So William found himself a way To leave without a word to say [Verse 2] “Come Polly, pretty Polly Come take a walk with me Before I ship out in the morning There’s something you should see” [Chorus] Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Why’d you follow him away? Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Where nobody heard you pray Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly He swore you’d be his bride Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Now you’re sleeping in the hillside [Verse 3] He led her past the edge of town Where no one heard her cry She saw the hole, she saw the spade And knew that she would die “Please William, don’t you do this I’ll leave you on your own Go chase the ports and pretty girls I’ll never call you home” He pulled the knife from his coat And held her by the hand One quick cut, she hit the dirt And William watched her land [Verse 4] He dropped her in the hollow And shoveled in the ground He packed the dirt beneath his boots And never looked around [Chorus] Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Why’d you follow him away? Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Where nobody heard you pray Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly He swore you’d be his bride Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Now you’re sleeping in the hillside [Bridge] But every night across that ocean He saw her through the rain Climbing from that shallow grave To tear him up again [Final Chorus] Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly William sailed so far away Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly But you know where William stays Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly He swore you’d be his bride Pretty Polly, Pretty Polly Don’t you leave that boy alive
