House Carpenter- Shelton (NC) 1916 Sharp D
[From: English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians; Comprising 122 Songs and Ballads, and 323 Tunes With Lyrics & sheet Music; Collected by Olive Dame Campbell and Cecil J. Sharp, published 1917. Sharp's No. 29. is titled, The Daemon Lover. I've changed it to the more appropriate title- House Carpenter.
R. Matteson 2013]
Notes: No. 29. The Daemon Lover.
Texts without tunes:—Child, No. 243.
Texts with tunes:—Journal of the Folk-Song Society, iii., 84. Motherwell's Minstrelsy, Appendix xv., tune 1. Songs of the West, 2nd ed., No. 76. American variants: —Journal of American Folk-Lore, xviii., 207; xix., 295; xx., 257; xxvi., 360; xxv., 274 (with tune). Broadside by H. De Marsan, New York. Musical Quarterly, January, 1916, p. 18.
The Daemon Lover (House Carpenter)
1 Well met, well met my own true love
We've met, we've met once more.
For I've lately crossed this salt water sea,
And it's all for the sake of thee.
2 It's I could have married the king's daughter dear,
I'm sure she'd have married me;
But I forsaken them crowns of gold,
And it's all for the sake of thee.
3 If you could have married the king's daughter dear,
I'm sure you ought to have married then;
For I am married to the house-carpenter,
I'm sure he's a fine young man.
4 If you'll forsake your house-carpenter
And go along with me,
I'll take you where the grass grows green
All on the banks of sweet Lillee.
5 If I forsake my house-carpenter
And goes along with thee,
Pray tell me the wealth you have on board
To keep me from slavery?
6 I have three ships all sailing on the sea,
All making for dry land,
And besides three hundred jolly sailor boys,
You can have them at your command.
7 She catched her tender little babes in her arms,
Kisses give them, one, two, three,
Saying: Stay at home with your papee,
I'm sure he'll be good to thee.
8 They hadn't been sailing but a day or two,
Not more than two or three,
Till she began to weep and mourn
And she weep most bitterly.
9 Are you weeping about my gold, said he?
Are you weeping about my stores?
Or are you weeping about your house-carpenter
That you shall never see no more?
10 I'm neither weeping for your gold,
Nor neither for your store;
But I am weeping about my tender little babe
That I never shall see any more.