The House Carpenter- Baber (MO) 1889 Randolph A
[From Vance Randolph's Ozark Folksongs, Vol. 1, 1946. First published in Folklore from Romantic Arkansas- 1931. Allsopp comments: I have ten or twelve variants from the Ozarks. The version here presented was obtained from Mrs. Carrie Baber, of Pineville, Missouri.
There are only minor differences between the two texts and it's possible Randolph's text was copied from Allsopp's. One very interesting thing is Allsopp's use of "an' " for "and" and "th' " for "the" which appear to have been copied by Randolph and later Max Hunter. See the version from Folklore from Romantic Arkansas- 1931 below.
R. Matteson 2013, 2016]
The House Carpenter- Sung by Mrs. Carrie Baber of Pineville, MO. Learned from her parents in 1889 Randolph A
[music upcoming]
"Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met," says he.
"I just come home from th' salt, salt sea,
An' all for the love of thee."
"You should of married the queen," she says,
"An' thought no more of me,
For I have wed with a house carpenter
An' a fine young man is he."
"Oh won't you forsake your house carpenter
An' sail along with me,
I'll take you down where the grass grows green
On the shores of the sweet Mawrie."
"Should I forsake my house carpenter
An' sail along with thee,
What have you-all to support me on,
An' keep me from poverty?"
"Oh, I got seventy ships at sea,
An' seventy more on land,
An' a hunderd an' ten of your countrymen
Shall be at your command."
They had not been on the sea two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
Until this woman began for to weep,
An' she wept most bitterly.
"Oh do you weep for my gold?" says he,
"Or do you weep with fear,
Or do you weep for the house carpenter
That you left when you come with me here?"
"I do not weep for gold," says she,
"Neither do I weep with fear,
But I do weep for them three little babes
That I left when I come with you here."
They had not been on the sea three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
Till the ship it busted ag'in a rock
An' she sunk to rise no more.
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[From Folklore from Romantic Arkansas- 1931. Allsopp comments: I have ten or twelve variants from the Ozarks. The version here presented was obtained from Mrs. Carrie Baber, of Pineville, Missouri.]
THE HOUSE CARPENTER- From Mrs. Carrie Baber, of Pineville, Missouri; pre1931.
Well met, well met, my own true love,
'Well met, well met, says he,
I just come home from the salt, salt sea,
An' all for th' love of thee.
I could a married the king's daughter,
An' fain she'd a-married me,
But I forsook her crown of gold,
An' all for th' love of thee.
You should a married the queen she says,
Ano thought no more of me,
For I have wed with a house carpenter?
An' a fine young man is he.
O, won't you forsake your house carpenter'
An' sail along with me?
I'll take you down where th' grass grows green
On th' shores of th' sweet Mawree.
Should I forsake ny house carpenter
An' go along with thee,
Oh what have you to support me on
An' keep me from poverty?
Oh I have seventy ships at sea,
An' seventy more on land,
An' a hundred an' ten of your countrymen
Shall be at your command.
They had not been on th' sea two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
Until this woman began for to weep,
An' she wept most bitterly.
Oh do you weep for gold, says he,
Or do you weep with fear?
Or do you weep for the house carpenter
That you left when you came with me here?
I do not weep for gold, says she,
Neither do I weep with fear,
But I do weep for th' three little babes
That I left when I came with you here.
They had not been on th' sea three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
Till th' ship was busted again a rock,
An' she sank to rise no more.