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As I was a-walking one morning in May,
A-viewing wild flowers, all nature seemed gay;
I spied a young couple on Erin's green shore,
They were viewing the ocean where the wild billows roar.
He said, "Pretty Polly, you're the girl I adore,
For to be parted from you it grieves my heart sore;
Your parents are rich, love, and angry with me,
And if I tarry with you, I ruined will be."
She's dressed herself up in a suit of men's clothes,
And to her old father immediately goes;
She's purchased a ship and laid down the demand,
It was little he knew it was his own daughter's hand.
She went to her true love and this she did say,
"Rise up, lovely Johnny, there's no time to stay;
They've hoisted their topsails and hurrahed with joy,
And away o'er the ocean sailed the Lady Leroy."
When her father found out, how he cursed and did swear,
He sent for his captain and bid him prepare;
For to seek them, and find them, and their lives destroy,
For they ne'er should enjoy his proud Lady Leroy.
The captain was pleased with his orders to go,
For to seek them and find them like some wandering foe;
He spied a fair vessel with her colours let fly,
He hailed her and found she was the Lady Leroy.
He's bade them return to old Ireland once more,
Or broadside and broadside upon them would pour;
This brave Irish hero has made this reply,
"We will never surrender, we'll conquer or die."
So, it's broadside and broadside each other did pour,
And louder and louder the cannons did roar;
This brave Irish hero has gained victory,
Hurrah for true lovers, may they always run free.
They've landed in Boston that city of fame,
Of the other ship's commander I'll mention no name;
Here's a health to pretty Polly, long may she enjoy,
Her bravest of heroes and her Lady Leroy.
A variant was collected in 1952 from Harry Curtis of Joe Batt's Arm, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published as The Lady Leroy in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.208-209, by the National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
Another variant was published as #111, The Lady Uri in Ballads And Sea Songs Of Newfoundland by Elisabeth Bristol Greenleaf and Grace Yarrow Mansfield (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1933; Folklore Associates, Hatboro, Pennsylvania, 1968).
