I fell in love with the roll of her drum,
Fell in love with her horn's blaring noise.
And I fell in love with her lute's gentle strum,
And I fell in love with her voice.
Polly lay over, so close to the wall,
When I opened my mouth for to sing.
And my throat could not stall the melodious call,
My words in the chamber did ring:
"I will squeeze your lungs like the bellows of an organ,
And blow on your bones like the pipes.
With a rat-a-tat-tat on your skull like a drum,
A rat-a-tat-tat on your skull.
Of your yellow hair, oh, I will fashion a bow
To scrape out a tune on your heart.
Of your long fingernails I will fashion ten quills
To pluck on your veins like a harp."
Polly rose up when my words were all told,
And this she did say unto me,
"I will visit the same upon thee thousand-fold,
I will visit the same upon thee.
And may you become one with the water so dumb,
Flow away, flow away, flow away.