The House Carpenter- 1927 Sandburg
[From The American Songbag by Carl Sandburg, 1927. Sandburg provides no date, source or location for this version.
R. Matteson 2013]
THE HOUSE CARPENTER
This is among the hoary and tarnished keepsakes of the ballad world. In the days before there were daily newspapers, or even weekly "intelligencers" schools were few, and people who could read and write were scarce. Then ballads flourished, and ballad singers were in every tavern where men drank ale, and in every hay or rye field where men gathered the crops. The House Carpenter, in style, story, method, has some of the leading characteristics of many of the oldest ballads. Of course, repeating the last two lines of every verse as indicated in the music here, is not necessary at all. Leave out the last two lines if you like, but don't forget that among antiques this song is as quaint to some of us as a mezzotint portrait in the lid of a snuff box of one of General Washington's staff officers.
THE HOUSE CARPENTER
1 "I have just come from the salt, salt sea,
And 'twas all on account of thee;
For I've had an offer of a king's daughter fair,
And she fain would have married me."
(Repeat the last two lines in each verse)
2. "If you've had an offer of a king's daughter fair,
I think you're much to blame;
For I've lately been married to a house carpenter,
And I think he's a nice young man."
3. "If you'll forsake your house carpenter,
And come along with me,
I will take you to where the grass grows green,
On the banks of Italy."
4. "If I'd forsake my house carpenter,
And go along with you,
And you'd have nothing to support me upon,
Oh, then what would I do?"
5 "I have three ships upon the main,
All sailing for dry land,
And twenty-five jolly sailor lads
That you can have at your command."
6 She dressed herself in rich array,
AH from her golden store,
And as she walked the streets all 'round,
She shone like a glittering star.
7 She called her baby unto her,
And gave it kisses three,
Saying, "Stay at home, my pretty little babe,
And be your father's company."
8 We had not sailed more than two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
Till this fair maid began to weep,
And she wept most bitterly.
9 "Oh, why do you weep, my pretty maid?
Do you weep for your golden store,
Or do you weep for your house carpenter
Which you never shall see any more?"
10 "I do not weep for my house carpenter,
Or for my golden store,
But I do weep for my pretty little babe
Which I never shall see any more."
11. We had not sailed more than three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
Till our gallant ship she sprang a leak,
And she sank to rise no more.
12. Once around went our gallant ship,
Twice around went she,
Three limes around went our gallant ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea.
13. Oh, cursed be the sea-going train,
And all the sailors' lives,
For the robbing of the house carpenter,
And the taking away of his wife.