The House Carpenter- Presnell (NC- AR) pre1966 Burton
[From Manning and Burton, Folksongs II. Their notes follow. Collected in NC, this is an Arkansas version- the date should be 40 years earlier since it was sung to her husband before he was eleven (see more info in Presnell's bio below)- for now I'm leaving the 1966 date.
R. Matteson 2013, 2016]
HATTIE PRESNELL- (From Beech Mountain , NC)
Hattie Kneevista Hicks Presnell was born June 19, 1907, to Buna and Roby Monroe Hicks. She moved with her family to the watauga River and returned with them to spice creek. There she went to Rominger school and got to the third primer before she stopped attending in order to bear more responsibilities at home because of illness in the family. Hattie remained at home until she was nineteen years old at which time she married Dewey Presnell. She has traveled to Arkansas, Canada, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Many of the songs she knows come from Van Buren County, Arkansas, where her husband for eleven years of his childhood would often hear "song after song all night long" sung by Mrs. Ida McIntyre. Hattie's songs were also learned from her father-in-law and great-uncle, Lee Monroe Presnell, and through him from Lie-hew (John Calvin Yonce came to Beech Mountain every seven years and was named Lie-hew by the folks on the mountain because he "lied so much and hewed on a stick all the time", it was rather difficult to learn his songs, Hattie says, because if he thought that the motive behind a request was to learn a song he would refuse to sing). Hattie is also indebted for songs to her mother, with whom she has remained closely associated over the years.
THE CARPENTER HOUSE (Child 243) sung by Hattie Presnell, December 9, 1966; learned from her husband, Dewey
Presnell.
tonality: mixolydian/dorian or heptatonic IV
range: octave + m3
(Stanza 5 repeats the second half of the tune for lines 5 and 6. Cf. Mr. Ward's and Mrs. Payne's variants, pp. 3 and 105.)
1. "We met, we met, my old truelove,
We met, we met," said he;
I'm just now returnin' from the salt, salt sea
And it's all for the love of thee.
"I could 'a' married the king's daughter fair
And she would 'a' married me,
But I'm forsakin' her silver and her gold
And it's all for the love of thee.
"If you could 'a' married the king's daughter fair,
I am sure You had better then,
For I am married to the house carpenter
And I think he's a nice young man."
"Will you leave your house carpenter
And go along with me?
I'll take you where that the grass grows green
On the banks of Sweet Willie."
"Do you have anything to contain me on [1]
To keep from slavery?"
"Oh yes, I have five ships on the ocean,
All a-sailin' for dry land.
I have five hundred and fifty-six men;
They can all be at your command."
She pick-ed up her sweet little babe
And kisses gave it three,
Saying, "Stay at home, you sweet little babe,
And keep your papa company. "
She dress-ed up in silk so fine,
Most beauty to behold,
And as she marched through the middle of them
She outshined the glittering gold.
She had not been sailin' more than two long weeks,
I'm sure hit were not three,
Till she fell a-weepin' in her true lover's arrns
And she weeped most bitterly.
"Is it for my silver that you weep for, love,
Or is it for my store?
Ot is it for your house carpenter,
That you shall never gee anymore?"
"Hit's not your silver that I weep for, love,
Neither for Your store;
I'm just now aweepin' for my sweet little babe
That I shall never see anymore."
They had not been sailin' more than three long months,
I am sure hit were not four,
Till a leak came in her true lover's ship
And it sank to rise no more.
She cursed, she cursed to all seamen,
She cursed most bitterly,
Saying, 'You robbed me from the house carpenter,
And my baby I shall nevermore see."
1. maintain me on,