The House Carpenter- Horn (TN) 1949 Boswell
[From: Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee; by Boswell (his collection is c. 1950s), edited by Wolfe; 1991. Wolfe's notes follow,
R. Matteson 2013]
Boswell Collection- Wolfe's notes: Almost all American versions, though, call it "The House Carpenter." It has been collected in nearly every state, and it appears in nearly every regional collection Norm Cohen, in his edition of Randolph's Ozark Folk Songs' notes that the ballad has been collected in this country more often than any other except "Barbara Allen." Coffin and Renwick have a good discussion of it (137, 263), as do Belden (89), Brown (2:171), and Randolph (1:166 ff.), who gives sixteen Ozark versions. It has shown up all over the eastem half of Tennessee, is included in almost every local collection for the state, and has made its way into commercial recordings- most specifically, Clarence "Tom" Ashley's haunting 1929 version for Columbia. This version came from Mrs. Stanley Ham, who grew up in Nashville. It was transcribed there on June 4, 1949. She had learned it from her mother.
1. "Cheer up, cheer up, my own true love,
Cheer up, cheer up,'' said he,
"For I have just returned from the sea,
And 'twas all for the love of thee.
2. "I could have married a king's daughter dear,
I'm sure she'd a-married me;
But I forsook my crown of gold,
And 'twas all for the love of thee."
3. "If you could have married a king's daughter dear,
I'm sure that you are to blame,
For I have married a house carpenter,
And I'm sure he's a nice young man."
4. "Will you forsake this house carpenter,
And go along with me?
I'll take you where the grass grows green,
On the banks of the sweet Wiilie."
5. "If I forsake this house carpenter,
And go along with thee,
What have you got to maintain me upon,
And to keep me from slavery?"
6. "I've got three ships a-sailing on the sea,
Sailing for high dry land,
A hundred and fifty jolly sailor boys,
Who'll be at your command."
7. She took her baby from her knee,
And kisses gave it three;
"Lie still, lie still, my sweet little babe,
And keep your father company."
8. She dressed herself in man's solissalay, [1]
All so clean and neat,
And she went walking down the street,
Her own true love to meet.
9. They had been gone but scarce two weeks,
I'm sure that it was not three,
When she began to weep and mourn,
And she wept most bitterly.
10. "Now what is this that you're weeping about?
Is it for my silver or gold?
Or is it for that house carpenter,
That you never more shall behold?"
11. "It's neither for that house carpenter,
Nor for your silver and gold,
It's only for my sweet little babe,
That I never more shall behold."
12. They had been gone but scarce three weeks,
I'm sure that it was not four,
When the boat, it sank, a leaking wreck,
And sank for to rise no more.
1. Haha, don't have any idea - "so nice array"?