Folklorist Stephen Wade examines the history of the folk ballad "Pretty Polly." The story told in the song came from a real incident in England in the 1700's, and was originally printed up for people to read. But over time, storytellers and singers set the story to music, and as people emigrated to America, the song came with them. Appalachian singers started using the banjo and guitar for the music, but the story has remained essentially the same since the late 1700's.
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