The Ship Carpenter- Larkin (IL) 1866 Musick
[From: The Old Album of William A. Larkin by Ruth Ann Musick; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 60, No. 237 (Jul. - Sep., 1947), pp. 201-251. Her notes follow.
The Ship Carpenter is No 27th in William A. Larkin's book of songs, written June the 21st, 1866. Larkin's original spelling and punctuation have been kept. Several broadsides were printed c. 1860 and this probably was based on one of them.
R. Matteson 2013]
Musick's notes: This is "James Harris, the Daemon Lover" (Child No. 243). American texts are usually called "The House Carpenter." Other collections containing this are Sharp, English Folk Songs ... (22 texts and tunes), I, 244-258; Cox, pp. 139-149; Randolph, pp. I66-I70; Randolph, Ozark Mountain Folks, pp. 20I-203; Pound, American Ballads and Songs, pp. 43-45; Pound, Folk-Song..., p. 10; Barry, Eckstorm and Smyth, pp. 304-310; Scarborough, pp. I50-159; Eddy, pp. 70-77; Gardner and Chickering, pp. 54-58; Sandburg, The American Songbag, pp. 66-67; Stout, pp. 11-I3; Davis (27 texts and 2 appendices), pp. 439-478; Belden (9 texts), pp. 79-87; Brewster (9 texts), pp. 136-148; Flanders, Ballard, Brown, Barry, The Green Mountain
Songster, pp. 95-96; Thomas, pp. 172-173; Smith, South Carolina Ballads, pp. I5I-155; Henry, Songs Sung in the Southern Appalachians..., pp. 59-61; Henry, Folk-Songs.... pp. 113-118; Barry, JAF, I8 (1905), 207-209; Belden, JAF, 29 (1906), 295-297; Kittredge, JAF, 20 (1907), 257-258; Barry, JAF, 25 (1912), 271-275; Pound, JAF, 26 (I913) (parts given from) p. 350 (?); Kittredge, JAF, 30 (I9I7), 325-327; Tolman and Eddy, JAF, 35 (1922), 347-348.
The Ship Carpenter (No 27th)- Written By William A / Larkins / June the 21st A D 1866
I. Well met well met my own true love
Well met, well met were wee
For I have just returned from the sea salt sea
All for the love ove thee
2. Is it for me that you have come
Or is it me you are a meaning
For now I am marryed to a house carpenter
And a hamsone mane is he
3. If you will forsake your house carpenter
And go a long with me
I will take you where the grass grows green
And to sweet liberty
4. If I forsake my house carpenter
And go along with the
Oh what have you got to main tain me upon
And keep me from poverty
5. I have three ships all on the sea
A sailing for dry land
With a hundred and ten brave and jolly jolly men
Whitch shall all be at your command
6. She took her babe upon her nee
And she gave it kisses three
Saying, stay you at home you dear sweete little babe
And keep your old father company
7. They had not sailed more than four weeks
Or scarce had they sailed three
When she thought ove her dear cute little babe
And she wep most bitterly
8. Is it for me that do weep
Or do you weep for fearing
Or do you weep for that house carpenter
That you left and followed me
9. I do not weep for you my love
Nor do I weep for fearing
But oh I do weep for that sweete little babe
That I left and followed the
10. They had not sailed more than five weeks
Or scarce had they sailed fore
When under the deck there up sprung a leak
And the weeping was herd no more.