This Pretty Girl of Mine

DESCRIPTION: "Here's a pretty little girl of mine Who's brought her bottle and glass of wine." She kneels on the carpet, then stands to choose her lover. When they're married they'll have a girl, then a boy, "seven years after, son and daughter"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1884 (Wodhams)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage nonballad children drink | kneeling carpet
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) New Zealand US(SE) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #159, pp. 2-3, ("Do you see this pretty girl of mine?") (1 text)
Greig/Duncan8 1572, "This Pretty Girl of Mine" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 19, "Pretty Little Girl of Mine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior-TraditionalSongsOfNovaScotia, pp. 263-264, "See This Pretty Little Girl of Mine" (1 text)
Pottie/Ellis-FolksongsOfTheMaritimes, pp. 112-113, "See This Pretty Little Girl of Mine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sutton-Smith-NZ-GamesOfNewZealandChilden/FolkgamesOfChildren, p. 22, "(Oh, this pretty little girl of mine)" (1 text with several variants)
Peirce-KeepTheKettleBoiling, p. 34, "(Down on the carpet, we shall kneel)" (1 text)
Spurgeon-WaltzTheHall-AmericanPlayParty, "Johnny Brown" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: John R. Wodhams, The Midland Garner (Banbury, 1884 ("Digitized by Google")),First Series, Vol. I, p. 32, ("See this pretty little girl of mine") (1 text)
Roud #8371
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hokey Pokey" (one verse)
cf. "Oats and Beans" (lyrics)
cf. "King William Was King James's Son" (theme)
NOTES [50 words]: The "Johnny Brown" texts of this are rather different from "This Pretty Girl of Mine"; they look like they might have come in from another song. But both versions have the kneeling-on-the-carpet motif; although the openings may have originated separately, it's hard to separate the two pieces now. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: GrD81572

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