Echoes of Appalachia

Bluegrass icon Ralph Stanley’s bluegrass standard “Pretty Polly” is an eerie murder ballad of love, betrayal, and supernatural revenge. Based on an older English folk song called The Gosport Tragedy, the ballad tells the tale of a young woman who meets the worst end at the hands of her lover, only to have revenge visit her in supernatural and ghostly proportions.

The Ballad: A Promise Fatal

The ballad recounts the sinister tale of John Billson, a ship carpenter, who makes Pretty Polly pregnant after seducing her and then takes her into the woods to murder her so that he will not have to take responsibility for his sin. Billson sets sail on the ship MMS Bedford after committing the crime, believing that he has left his transgression behind him on English shores. Fate—and perhaps something more sinister—has other plans.

The Haunting: A Ghostly Apparition at Sea.

As the ship departs, there is a haunting incident. A seaman named Charles Stewart is visited by Pretty Polly’s ghost in the gloomy hold of the ship, carrying a baby in her arms. The ghostly encounter sends shivers among the sailors, which means that Billson’s transgression will not go unpunished. The paranormal encounter sets off a series of events that ultimately lead to a chilling confession.

The Confession and Death of John Billson

Captain Edmund Hook, upon discovering the ghostly vision, faces Billson. Brimming with remorse and fear, the carpenter goes down on his knees and confesses to the act. Soon, he dies aboard ship—some say due to scurvy, others divine justice. Pretty Polly’s ghost therefore ensures justice, even after death.

Origins: The Evolution of a Murder Ballad

The earliest documented printed version of The Gosport Tragedy was printed around 1727. Peggy’s Gone Over Sea, the song to which it was originally sung, carried the tragic story through the centuries. The ballad evolved through the years, being adapted by American folk artists as Pretty Polly, a bare-bones and crueller version of the original tale.

Ralph Stanley’s Lasting Legacy

Ralph Stanley’s spooky rendition of Pretty Polly cemented its place in American bluegrass history. His raw, high-lonesome singing and clawhammer banjo style gave the song a creepy, otherworldly tone, as though it were a murder song that defied the genre. His version also emphasized the dark and violent side of the story, ensuring that Pretty Polly would be bluegrass and folk music’s most memorable cautionary tale.

No matter if heard as a cautionary legend of treachery, an ethereal ghost tale, or just a little folk history, Pretty Polly still intrigues listeners, reminding them of the times when music was as much entertainment as it was a frightening moral in itself.

-Tim Carmichael