Lyrics: "House Carpenter"

[mdlbear]

I finally sat down and keyed in my (current) version of "House Carpenter", mainly as background for "Demon Lover". My version comes mostly from the singing of Joan Baez, since that's the one I learned first, but I've pulled in a couple from Child to highlight the demonic nature of the lover, and cleaned up the pronoun usage a bit. I still haven't decided whether to do it in concert -- probably not, since it's pretty long -- but will probably haul it out in a circle. Especially if I can get cflute to help out with the inevitable follower.

``Well met, well met, my own true love
Well met, well met,'' cried he
``I've just returned from the salt, salt sea
And it's all for the love of thee

``Oh, I could have married a king's daughter, dear
And she would have married me,
But I forsake the crown of gold,
And it's all for the love of thee.''

``If you could have married a king's daughter, dear,
I'm sure you are to blame;
For I am married to a house carpenter,
And I find him a nice young man.''

``Ah, wilt thou forsake thy house carpenter,
And come away with me?
I'll take thee to where the white lilies grow
On the banks of Italy.''

``But if I forsake my house carpenter
And come away with thee,
What have you got to maintain me on,
And keep me from poverty?''

``Six ships, six ships upon the sea
And seven more upon dry land;
One hundred and ten bold brave sailor men
To be at thy command.''

And she's picked up her own wee babe,
And kisses gave him three,
Saying, ``Stay right here with my house carpenter,
And keep him good company.''

Then she's putted on her rich attire,
So wond'rous to behold,
And as she trod along her way,
She shone like the glittering gold.

Well they'd not been gone but about two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
When she espied his cloven foot,
And wept most bitterly.

``Ah, why do you weep, my own pretty maid,
Weep you for your golden store,
Or do you weep for your house carpenter,
Who never you will see any more?''

``I do not weep for my house carpenter,
Nor for my golden store,
But I do weep for my own wee babe,
Who never I will see any more.''

``What hills, what hills are those, my love
That rise so fair and high?''
``Those are the hills of Heaven, my love,
But not for you and I.''

``What hills, what hills are those, my love
That rise so dark and low?''
``Those are the hills of Hell, my love,
Where you and I must go.''

He took her up to the topmast high,
To see what she could see;
He sank the ship in a flash of fire
Down to the bottom of the sea.

Come to think of it, this would work pretty well as a duet, too. Don't think I've ever heard it done that way.

Comments

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

Wow. I remember that song, from a Joan Baez record I had as a child. It makes a lot more sense now that I know more than half the words! I'd always thought the line was "I'll stay right here..." etc, which didn't mesh well with her subsequent departure.

Now I'm gonna have "young but daily growing" stuck in my head. :P

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

But yeah... that would be a great duet!

[mdlbear]

"Young but he's daily growing" ... see this filk of it

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

*LAUGH* oh, that's great... I need to add that to my book of favorite filks to sing at cons (assuming you don't mind)!

[mdlbear]

Of course I don't mind -- knowing that other people like my songs well enough to sing them is a great feeling.

Way back yonder in time

[capplor.livejournal.com]

I had this song worked up as a duet with my college room-mate's girlfriend. She sang a lovely alto & then, of course, there's me. But it still managed to work, especially as she also played banjo against my guitar.