Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green facts for kids
"Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" is a famous English song. It was written by a London songwriter named Harry Clifton in 1864. The song tells a funny and a bit sad story about a milkman who falls in love.
The song was first called "Polly Perkins of Paddington Green or the Broken Hearted Milkman." It's a type of song known as a music hall song, which were popular in theaters and pubs in England during the 1800s.
The Story of the Song
The song is about a milkman who is very sad. He has fallen in love with a young servant girl named Polly Perkins. She lives in a big house near a place in London called Paddington Green.
Polly's Beauty
The milkman thinks Polly is incredibly beautiful. He describes her as being "as beautiful as a butterfly and proud as a Queen." He says she has a graceful walk and a lovely voice, like a blackbird singing. He truly believes she loves him back.
A Broken Heart
Every morning, when the milkman delivers milk and calls out "Milk below!", Polly would show her face. She would smile and laugh, which made the milkman think she liked him too. He was so in love that he felt he would do anything for her.
One day, he bravely asked Polly to marry him. But her answer completely broke his heart! She told him his idea was "stuff" and that she had "had quite enough" of his "nonsense." She made it clear she didn't want to marry a milkman.
Polly's Dream Man
Polly told the milkman that the man she would marry had to be very rich. She wanted someone with "silver and gold," who could give her a "chariot to ride in." He also had to be handsome, bold, and have curly hair and big whiskers. The milkman was very sad to hear this. He cried and left, saying goodbye to Polly and Paddington Green.
The Surprise Ending
About six months later, the milkman heard some news. Polly, the girl with the hard heart, had gotten married! But it wasn't to a rich lord or a fancy nobleman. It turned out she married a "bow-legged conductor of a tuppenny bus." This was a funny and surprising twist, as a bus conductor was not at all the rich man Polly had described!
