House Carpenter- Alexander (CO) 1965 Lumpkin REC
[From: Ben Gray Lumpkin Digital Folk Music Collection. The collection has changed since 2013 and the old links did not work- I've changed them.
R. Matteson 2013, 2016]
House Carpenter- Sung by John T. Alexander Date: 6/1/1965;Physical Item Location: Ben Gray Lumpkin Collection, Box 7 Tape 171 Track 07; Listen to Audio:
http://cudl.colorado.edu/luna/servlet/detail/UCBOULDERCB1~25~25~346506~142092:House-Carpenter?sort=title%2Ccreator%2Cdate&qvq=q:house%2Bcarpenter;sort:title%2Ccreator%2Cdate;lc:UCBOULDERCB1~25~25&mi=2&trs=13
"Well met, well met, my own true love,
"Well met, well met," said he.
"I've just returned from the salt water sea,
And it's all for the love of thee."
I could have married a king's daughter fair
She would have married me;
But I refused the crown of gold,
And it's all for the love of thee.
If you could've married the king's daughter fair,
I'm think you are to blame;
For I have married a house carpenter,
And I think he's a [1] nice young man.
If you will leave your house carpenter
And come and go along with me,
I'll take you to go where the grass grows green,
On the banks of sweet Galilee.
She called her babe up to her knee,
And kisses gave it three,
Sayings, "Go and keep you pappy company,
While I go to the Sweet Galilee."
She dressed herself in scarlet blue,
Her waist was laid in green; [2]
And every street that she went through,
They took her to be some queen.
She had not been on board two days,
I'm sure it was not three,
Until she began to weep and mourn,
And she wept most bitterly.
"O are you weeping for my gold?
Are you weeping for my store?
Are you weeping for the house carpenter
Which [Who] you never shall see anymore?
"No I'm not weeping for your gold,
And neither weeping for your store;
I am weeping for that sweet little babe [3]
Which [Who] I never shall see anymore.
They had not been on sea three days,
I'm sure it was not four,
Until she threw herself overboard,
And she sank to rise no more.
1. he accidentally sings: she's
2. best guess; Sharp MS has: Around her waist was green.
3. stops and corrects here