Little Farmer Boy- Dellie Norton (NC) pre1958 also 1976 REC
[From Sheila Kay Adams who covered this family version (Dellie Chandler Norton's) on her cassette, A Spring in the Burton Cove on Granny Dell Records GDR-1210. During an interview of Adams (on p. 184 of Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia by Fiona Ritchie, Doug Orr) she describes learning "Little Farmer Boy" from Granny Dell in 1958 when she was just five years old. She also talks about Berzilla's version titled, "The House Carpenter."
On September 13, 1976 Dellie Chandler Norton from Madison County NC sang her version to a ballad singing class at Warren Wilson College. Only the first verse and part of the second can be heard online:
1. "We've met, we've met, our own true love,
We've met, we've met," said he.
[I've lately returned from the salt water sea],
And it's all for the sake of thee.
2. I once coulda married a king's daughter dear,
And I'm sure she'd 'a' married me,
If you coulda married to a King's daughter . . .
In her book, My Old True Love, (2005) Sheila Kay Adams gives the first verse of Dellie's ballad and says:
That night Rosa Wallin sung the prettiest version I would ever hear of “The Little Farmer Boy."
Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met," cried he,
“For I've lately returned from the saltwater sea
And it's all for the love of thee.
A poorly remembered version of the family ballad was first recorded circa 1963 by Dillard Chandler (see: The Little Farmer Boy- Chandler (NC) 1975 in this collection. Obviously the ballad goes back to at least circa 1900. Dellie was born in 1898 and she was part of The ballad singers of Sodom — Dellie Chandler Norton, her sister Berzilla Chandler Wallin, Cas and Vergie Wallin, Evelyn Ramsey, Inez Chandler, and Doug Wallin (Berzilla's son).
There's also a partial recording of Berzilla (Dellie's sister) at Digital Appalachia. It's unknown who changed the name "house carpenter" to "little farmer boy" or why it was done. Dellie sings "The Little Farmer Boy" and her sister sings, "House Carpenter" yet in Adam's book, My Old True Love, it seems that Wallin family members (Rosa Wallin; Zeke Wallin etc) uniformly call it "The Little Farmer Boy."
Cf. The Little Farmer Boy- Dillard Chandler (NC) pre1975 REC; House Carpenter- Doug Wallin (NC) c. 1940 REC. Older versions from that region were collected by Sharp (I'm omitting Jane Hicks Genry's version since it was brought from Watuaga County) see his versions A, B, D, F, I, and J.
R. Matteson 2016]
“The Little Farmer Boy" adapted from Dellie Chandler Norton of Madison County, NC by Sheila Kay Adams
Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met," cried he,
“For I've lately returned from the saltwater sea
And it's all for the love of thee.
That I could 'a' married a king's daughter dear
I know she'd 'a' married me.
But I forsake her silver and her gold,
And it's all for the love of thee.
Well if you could 'a' married a king's daughter dear
I wished you'd 'a' married her
For I've lately married a little farmer boy,
And I think he's a fine young man.
Well if you'll forsake your little farmer boy
And come and go with me,
I'll take you where the grass grows green,
And the waters flow so free.
Well if I forsake my little farmer boy
And come and go with you
will you keep me in silver and in gold
Will you keep me from slavery?
Well I've got three ships a-sailing on the sea,
Three more are docked at land,
Three hundred and sixty little sailor boys,
Will be at your command.
She pick-ed up her tender little babe,
And kisses she gave it three,
Saying, "Stay at home with your papa little man,
And keep him company."
They had not been at sail more than two weeks,
I'm sure it were not three
when she fell down on the deck of the ship,
And wept most bitterly.
Oh are you cryin' for your house,
Are you cryin' for your store?
Are you crying' for your little farmer boy
That you'll never see no more?
"No, I'm not cryin' for my house
I'm not cryin' for my store.
I'm a-cryin' for my tender little babe
I left a-sittin' on the floor."
They had not been at sea three weeks,
I'm sure it were not four,
When there came a hole in the bottom of the ship
And she sunk to rise no more
"Oh take me back oh take me back[1]
Oh take me back cried she,
For I'm too young and lovely by far,
To rot in the salt water sea."
Oh don't you see a white cloud a-risin'
As white as any snow?"
"That's the place they call heaven
Where you and I'll never go."
"And don't you see a black cloud a-risin',
As black as any crow?"
"That's the place they call torment,
where you and I'll surely go."
1. also in or from Child 4. Adam's said in her book that it was Zeke Wallin's favorite verse. Zeke was Adam's (nee Norton) first husband.