The House Carpenter- Pettit (KY) 1933 Niles; The Ballad Book 1961
[From The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles, 1961. According to Niles, this version was taken from Katherine Pettit, founder of the Pine Mountain School, in 1933 after she retired to Lexington, KY. Niles had traveled to the Pine Mountain School some years ago when Pettit was still there. Niles somehow failed to find out where she got her version. Niles version (with music) was not included in Bronson's Traditional Tunes, perhaps because of the date. The text in the second stanza (first line) fails to identify the "king's daughter." The first line has an extra "well met" which is very unusual.
Pettit gave a version of this ballad in 1907 to Kittredge who published it in the JOAFL (presumably one of the 65 US versions Niles studied) from a local unnamed Kentucky source. This version (Niles version) is different.
R. Matteson 2013]
The House Carpenter- Sung by Katherine Pettit of Lexington, KY; 1933.
1 "Well met, well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, my love," cried he;
"I have just come back from the salt, salt sea,
And all for the love of thee."
2. "I could have married with a great lady,
For her heart was set on me.
But I forgave her golden crowns,
And all for the love of thee."
3. "If you could marry with a king's daughter,
I'tn sure you are to blame,
For I have married with a house carpenter,
Sweet Willie is his name."
4. "Forsake, forsake, forsake your carpenter,
And come go 'long with me,
And I will take you where the grass grows green,
Hard by the sweet lily."
5. "If I forsake my fine house carpenter
And go to sea with thee,
Oh how, oh how will you keep me then
From shame and slavery?"
6. "I have six ships a-sail upon the sea,
I have six ships more on the land,
And all those bright jolly sailor-men
Will be at your command."
7. She picked up her own, her sweet baby,
And she gave him kisses three,
Said, "Stay at home with your daddy, my love,
And give him company."
8. She dressed herself in silk and satin red,
She dressed in green and gold,
And she walked through her rooms once more,
The last she would e'er behold.
9. She had not sailed the sea more than two weeks,
And I'm sure it was not three,
When she sat down and she did weep,
And mourn most bitterly.
10. "Alas, alas, my love, why do you weep?
Or is it for gold and store?
Or is it for your house carpenter
That you will never see more?"
11. "I do not weep for silver or for gold,
Nor do I weep for store,
But I do weep for my darling sweet babe,
The one I ne'er shall see more."
12 They had not been to sea but three short weeks,
And I'm sure it was not four,
When they did spring a longwise seam,
And sank to rise no more.
13 "What banks, what banks of land is that, my love?
What banks so dark and so low?"
"It is the land of hell you see,
Where you and I shall go."
14. "What banks, what banks of land is that, my love?
What banks as white as snow?"
"It is the land of the Heavenly God
Where your sweet baby will go."