The House Carpenter- McCord (MO) 1901 Randolph N
[Collected in October, 1941 but learned "forty years earlier," from Vance Randolph's Ozark Folksongs, Vol. 1, 1946.
R. Matteson 2013]
The House Carpenter- Sung by May Kennedy McCord of Springfield, MO; learned in 1901. Randolph N
[music upcoming]
If you had the offer of a king's daughter fair
I'm sure you are to blame,
For I am married to a house carpenter
And he is a nice young man,
And he is a nice young man.
Oh won't you leave your house carpenter
And go along with me?
For I am going where the grass grows green,
On the banks of the sweet Dundee,
On the banks of the sweet Dundee.
If I was to leave my house carpenter
And go along with you,
You have nothing to support me on
And then what should I do,
And then what should I do?
Oh I have seven ships on the sea
And seven ships on the land,
And I have gold and silver too
Which shall be at your command,
Which shall be at your command.
She then picked up her darling little babe
And gave it kisses three,
Saying stay at home with your father dear
And keep him company,
And keep him company.
They had not been sailing above two weeks,
I'm sure it was not three,
Until this fair lady began to weep,
And she wept most bitterly,
And she wept most bitterly.
Oh are you mourning for your
Or mourning about your fee?
Or are you mourning for your
That you never more will see,
That you never more will see?
Oh I am not mourning for my house carpenter,
Or mourning about my fee,
But I am mourning for my darling little babe
That I never more will see,
That I never more will see.
They had not been sailing above three weeks,
I'm sure it was not four,
Till under the deck the ship sprung a leak
And she sank to rise no more,
And she sank to rise no more.