The Folkways reissue remains faithful to Smith's vision. For more information on Harry Smith, the Anthology, and its enormous impact on American music, see the Grammy Award winning "Booklet of Essays," compiled by Smithsonian Archivist Jeff Place, that accompanies the boxed set.
Originally released in 1952 as a quasi-legal set of three double LPs and reissued several times since (with varying cover art), Anthology of American Folk Music could well be the most influential document of the '50s folk revival. Many of the recordings that appeared on it had languished in obscurity for 20 years, and it proved a revelation to a new group of folkies, from Pete Seeger to John Fahey to Bob Dylan. The man that made the Anthology possible was Harry Smith, a notoriously eccentric musicologist who compiled 84 of his favorite hillbilly, gospel, blues, and Cajun performances from the late '20s and early '30s, dividing each into one of three categories: Ballads, Social Music, and Songs. Smith sequenced the three volumes with a great amount of care, placing songs on the Ballads volume in historical order (not to be confused with chronological order) so as to create an LP that traces the folk tradition, beginning with some of the earliest Childe ballads of the British Isles and ending with several story songs of the early 20th century. The cast of artists includes pioneers in several fields, from the Carter Family and Uncle Dave Macon to Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, and the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers. Many of the most interesting selections on the Anthology, however, are taken from artists even more obscure, such as Clarence Ashley, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and Buell Kazee. After the Anthology had been out of print for more than a decade, Smithsonian/Folkways reissued the set in a six-disc boxed set, with the original notes of Harry Smith, as well as a separate book of new reminiscences by artists influenced by the original and a wealth of material for use in CD-ROM drives.
The House Carpenter
Clarence Ashley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll met we'll met said he
I'm just returning from the salt salt sea
And it's all for the love of thee
Climb in climb in my old true love
And have a seat with me
It's been three-fourths of a long long year
Since together we have been
Well I can't come in or I can't sit down
For I haven't but a moment's time
They say you're married to a house carpenter
And your heart will never be mine
Now it's I coulda married a king's daughter here
I'm sure she'da married me
But I've forsaken her crowns of gold
And it's all for the love of thee
Now will you forsaken your house carpenter
And go along with me
I'll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of the deep blue sea
She picked up here little babe
And kisses gave him three
Says stay right here my darling little babe
And keep your pappa company
Well they hadn't been on ship but about two weeks
I'm sure it wasn't three
Well his true love began to weep and mourn
And he weeped most bitterly
Says are you a-weepin' for my silver or my gold
Says are you weeping for my store
Are you weeping for that house carpenter
Whose face you'll never see any more
No it's I'm not a-weepin' for your silver or your gold
Or neither for your store
I am weeping for my darling little babe
Whose face I'll never see any more
Well they hadn't been on ship but about three weeks
I'm sure it wasn't four
'Til they sprung a leak in the bottom of the ship
And they sunk for to rise no more
"The House Carpenter" is a traditional song with variants in the United States and Great Britain, and Clarence Ashley's version is one of the most popular known as "The Demon Lover". The story is of a house carpenter's wife who leaves him for a sailor and essentially choosing love over family duty, but the outcome is tragic. The song tells of the deep love between an old true love and the back-story about the older man recently returned from the salt sea after having been away for a long time. He offers to take her by his side, but she tells him that she is married to a house carpenter with whom she has a child. The old sailor offers her a life with all the luxuries that she could ever want, but she tells him that she would rather live in poverty with her true love. The carpenter's wife boards the ship with her little baby to begin a new life with her love. However, the journey does not have a happy ending - the ship springs a leak and sinks, killing everyone onboard.
"The House Carpenter" has persevered through the test of time, but the depth of meaning behind the lyrics is still debated. Some interpret the song as a warning to women who stray from their husbands, while others view it primarily as a ballad of love, loss, and regret. Also, the origins of "The House Carpenter" are not explicitly delineated, and the song has many versions throughout the United States and other countries like Scotland.
Line by Line Meaning
We'll met we'll met said an old true love
An old lover met me and greeted me with joy
We'll met we'll met said he
I returned the greeting with joy
I'm just returning from the salt salt sea
I returned from a voyage at sea
And it's all for the love of thee
I went on that voyage for the sake of love for you
Climb in climb in my old true love
Come and sit with me, my old beloved
And have a seat with me
Take a seat with me
It's been three-fourths of a long long year
It's been nine months since we were last together
Since together we have been
Since we've last seen each other
Well I can't come in or I can't sit down
I can't enter or sit with you
For I haven't but a moment's time
I have only a moment
They say you're married to a house carpenter
Rumors are that you're married to a carpenter
And your heart will never be mine
And that you'll never love me again
Now it's I coulda married a king's daughter here
I had the opportunity to marry a princess
I'm sure she'da married me
She would've married me
But I've forsaken her crowns of gold
But I gave up her wealth and status
And it's all for the love of thee
For the sake of my love for you
Now will you forsaken your house carpenter
Will you leave your carpenter husband?
And go along with me
And join me in my travels?
I'll take you where the grass grows green
I'll take you to beautiful places
On the banks of the deep blue sea
By the ocean's shore
She picked up here little babe
She took her child
And kisses gave him three
And gave him three kisses
Says stay right here my darling little babe
She said to her child to stay behind
And keep your pappa company
And to keep their father's memory close
Well they hadn't been on ship but about two weeks
They had only been on the ship for two weeks
I'm sure it wasn't three
I'm certain it wasn't three weeks
Well his true love began to weep and mourn
His love began to cry
And he weeped most bitterly
And he cried deeply
Says are you a-weepin' for my silver or my gold
He asked if she cried over his money or possessions
Says are you weeping for my store
He asked if she cried over what he owned
Are you weeping for that house carpenter
He asked if she cried for her husband
Whose face you'll never see any more
Whose face she would never see again
No it's I'm not a-weepin' for your silver or your gold
She says she doesn't cry for his money or possessions
Or neither for your store
And not for what he owns
I am weeping for my darling little babe
She cries for her child
Whose face I'll never see any more
Whose face she will never see again
Well they hadn't been on ship but about three weeks
They had only been on the ship for three weeks
I'm sure it wasn't four
He's certain it wasn't four weeks
'Til they sprung a leak in the bottom of the ship
Until the ship sprung a leak
And they sunk for to rise no more
And sank, never to rise again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: KELLY JOE PHELPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sillygirlb
This was a Scottish song about a married woman that leaves her husband and child for an ex lover then they both drown. It’s supposed to be a warning for married ladies to stay faithful.
@Cailleach26
but I think the man, the Daemon lover, gets some blame for enticement
@christinebrown3872
Yes that's what I got out of it when I was just a child
@dionsanchez8514
The ppl in the mountains lived by their mountain rules. If someone strayed it would be to their demise. These are not songs they are true stories.
@cmay7429
Certainly a cautionary tale, but something, unfortunately, that still happens. Abandoning her child seems the more poignant sin than infidelity though.
Silver Dagger is another old ballad that focuses on the "demon lover" or bad father.
@Hairbrain
Irish- about an aristocratic woman running off with a gypsy. The original is called The Raggle Taggle Gypsy. Planxty does a good version but the tune itself is hundreds of years old.
@christinebrown3872
First time I heard this sung it was by my grandmother. After I Grew up I discovered Doc Watson version. Thanks for sharing this one
@chilliLRK
Just heard this on the radio. Thank you!
@IvoPondusa
120th ANNIVERARY HIS BIRTH TODAY!!!
CLARENCE ASHLEY
(September 29, 1895 – June 2, 1967)
Clarence Ashley was an American musician and singer, who played the clawhammer banjo and the guitar.
@MrTerrydb
Great find for me