Pretty Polly
View chords used in this chart
verse 1
C G D G
Polly was girl not yet sixteen
C G D
I met her by the lake in the fall
C G D G
Our love unfurled like a warm, sick dream
Em D
It's a shame I had to go and waste it all
verse 2
C G D G
When we were together everything was alright
C G D
We shared everything we could share
C G D G
Easy like a feather till that one midnight
Em D G
When she hit me with that under my spell and I couldn't let her go
Am
For the child that she would bear
D
My arms were turning into rope
Pre-Chorus
C G D
I couldn't let her go
C G D
I couldn't let her stay
C G D C G D
I buried pretty Polly in a poor, pathetic grave
[Refrão] Em D G C Em D
Now she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
Em D G C Em D
Ah, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
verse 3
C G D G
Stranded in the Tivoli parking lot
C G D
No gas, no money, no love
C G D G
Promised to a promise that I wouldn't get caught
Em D G
But the dark sky handed me a gun and I couldn't let it go
Am D
All the beauty up above I could never control
C G D
I couldn't let her go
Pre-Chorus
C G D
I couldn't let her go
C G D
I couldn't let her stay
C G D C G D
I placed pretty Polly in a poor, pathetic grave
[Refrão] Em D G C Em D
And then she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
Em D G C G D Em G D Em
Ah, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
Bridge
C G D
I couldn't let her go
C G D
I couldn't let her stay
C G D
I ran like hell
C G D
I ran a-way
C G D
I ran like hell
C G D
From that hell that I made
C G D
From the mouth of babes
C G D
The mouth of the babes
C G D
Poor pretty Polly
C G D
The wolf and the prey
[Refrão] Em D G C Em D
And then she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
Em D G C Em D
Ah, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay lay
Em D G C
Ah, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay
Em D G C
She lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay
Em D G C Em
She lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay, she lay
Outro
Em Em Em Em
How to play Pretty Polly
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is C. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.