The House Carpenter's Wife- Wilson (WV) 1975 Gainer
[From: Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills by Patrick Gainer. No information (Date, location) other than the name of the informant is given by Gainer, who is typically vague about details.
Singa Hipsy Dipsy Doodle reprints Gainer's version with these notes:
This ballad was sung for Dr. Patrick W. Gainer by his great-aunt, Aunt Mary Wilson. Dr. Gainer was born in West Virginia and relatives sang the Irish-Scottish ballads which had been handed down through the family. There are several versions of this ballad in the Sargent-Kittredge edition of Child Ballads where it is titled James Harris (The Daemon Lover) but this resembles the F version. One is reminded of Silas Marner by George Elliott-(Mary Ann Evans).
All of Gainer's version must be considered possible ballad re-creations.
R. Matteson 2013]
The House Carpenter's Wife- Aunt Mary Wilson (WV) 1975 Gilmer County (Gainer MS., Child 243)
1- "Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met," cried he.
"For I've just returned from the salt, salt sea,
And it's all for the love of thee."
2- "Well, I could have married a king's daughter dear,
I'm sure she'd have married me,
But I've returned from the salt, salt sea,
And it's all for the love of thee."
3- "Well, if you could have married a king's daughter, dear,
I'm sure you are to blame,
For I have married a house carpenter,
And indeed he's a fine young man."
4- "If you will leave your house carpenter,
And go along with me,
I'll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of Italy."
5- "What have you got to maintain me on,
Or keep me from slavery?"
"I've seven ships that's just passed o'er,
And seven more on sea."
6- Then she took up her sweet little babe,
And gave it kisses three,
Saying, "Stay at home with your Pappy,
And keep him company."
7- They had not been on sea two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
When this young lady began to weep,
And she wept most bitterly
8- "Oh do you weep for gold," said he,
"Or do you weep for store,
Or do you weep for that sweet little babe,
That you'll never see any more?"
9- "I do not weep for gold," cried she,
"Nor do I weep for store,
But I do weep for that sweet little babe
That I'll never see any more."
10- They had not been on sea three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
When the ship sprang a leak in the middle of the deep,
And it sank to rise no more.