25:
286:
254:, in which a young woman named Polly, who has heard the song sung in her father's inn, joins the army, as a man, to find her brother, taking the name Oliver.
144:#367), traceable from 1840 or earlier. It is also known as "Pretty Polly Oliver" and has several variant sets of lyrics, set to a single anonymous melody.
291:
46:
116:
262:
Several versions of "Polly Oliver" survive as undated broadside ballad sheets in the
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford.
97:
69:
50:
301:
76:
281:
35:
83:
250:
54:
39:
296:
65:
148:
141:
154:
90:
137:
158:
245:
275:
266:
24:
147:
It is one of the best known of a number of folk songs describing women
134:
18:
221:
He cried, "You have cherished him as if you were his wife".
190:
She cut her hair close, and she stained her face brown,
187:
And dressed herself up in her dead brother's clothes.
235:
The captain took joyfully his pretty soldier nurse.
267:http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/edition/4134
215:"No nursing, young fellow, can save him," he said.
201:"Now who's good for nursing? A captain, he's ill."
229:And told the good doctor her hopes and her fears,
218:But when Polly Oliver had nursed him back to life
204:"I'm ready," said Polly. To nurse him she's gone,
176:"Nor father nor mother shall make me false prove,
232:And very shortly after, for better or for worse,
212:The first week the doctor kept shaking his head,
207:And finds it's her true love all wasted and wan.
198:Then up spoke the sergeant one day at his drill,
179:I'll 'list as a soldier, and follow my love."
8:
193:And went for a soldier to fair London Town.
53:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
173:A sudden strange fancy came into her head.
161:wrote an arrangement for voice and piano.
151:to join the army to be with their lovers.
226:O then Polly Oliver, she burst into tears
117:Learn how and when to remove this message
170:As sweet Polly Oliver lay musing in bed,
287:Songs about fictional female characters
184:So early next morning she softly arose,
157:wrote a symphonic band arrangement and
7:
51:adding citations to reliable sources
14:
23:
1:
292:Female wartime cross-dressers
149:disguising themselves as men
318:
16:Traditional English ballad
302:Year of song unknown
66:"Sweet Polly Oliver"
47:improve this article
282:English folk songs
251:Monstrous Regiment
244:The main theme of
131:Sweet Polly Oliver
127:
126:
119:
101:
309:
297:Fictional nurses
159:Benjamin Britten
138:broadside ballad
122:
115:
111:
108:
102:
100:
59:
27:
19:
317:
316:
312:
311:
310:
308:
307:
306:
272:
271:
260:
246:Terry Pratchett
242:
167:
123:
112:
106:
103:
60:
58:
44:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
315:
313:
305:
304:
299:
294:
289:
284:
274:
273:
270:
269:
259:
258:External links
256:
241:
238:
237:
236:
233:
230:
227:
223:
222:
219:
216:
213:
209:
208:
205:
202:
199:
195:
194:
191:
188:
185:
181:
180:
177:
174:
171:
166:
163:
125:
124:
31:
29:
22:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
314:
303:
300:
298:
295:
293:
290:
288:
285:
283:
280:
279:
277:
268:
265:
264:
263:
257:
255:
253:
252:
247:
239:
234:
231:
228:
225:
224:
220:
217:
214:
211:
210:
206:
203:
200:
197:
196:
192:
189:
186:
183:
182:
178:
175:
172:
169:
168:
164:
162:
160:
156:
152:
150:
145:
143:
139:
136:
132:
121:
118:
110:
107:December 2009
99:
96:
92:
89:
85:
82:
78:
75:
71:
68: –
67:
63:
62:Find sources:
56:
52:
48:
42:
41:
37:
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
261:
249:
243:
153:
146:
130:
128:
113:
104:
94:
87:
80:
73:
61:
45:Please help
33:
155:Thomas Root
276:Categories
240:References
77:newspapers
248:’s book,
34:does not
133:" is an
135:English
91:scholar
55:removed
40:sources
165:Lyrics
93:
86:
79:
72:
64:
98:JSTOR
84:books
142:Roud
70:news
38:any
36:cite
49:by
278::
140:(
129:"
120:)
114:(
109:)
105:(
95:·
88:·
81:·
74:·
57:.
43:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
