In the late '60s and early '70s, Baez came into her songwriting own, penning many songs (most notably "Diamonds & Rust," a nostalgic piece about her ill-fated romance with Bob Dylan, and "Sweet Sir Galahad," a song about sister Mimi Fariña's ( of Richard & Mimi Fariña fame) second marriage, and continued to meld her songcraft with topical issues. She was outspoken in her disapproval of the Vietnam war and later the CIA-backed coups in many Latin American countries.
She was also instrumental in the Civil Rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King on many occassions and being jailed for her beliefs. In 1963, her performance of "We Shall Overcome" at the Lincoln Memorial just prior to Dr. King's famous "I Have A Dream..." speech helped confirm the song as the Civil Rights anthem.
In December 1972, she traveled to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and was caught in that country's "Christmas Campaign," in which the U.S. bombed the city more times than any other during the entire war. While pregnant with her only son, Gabriel, she performed a handful of songs in the middle of the night on day one of the 1969 Woodstock festival. She is considered the "Queen of Folk" for being at the forefront of the 1960s folk revival and inspiring generations of female folksingers that followed. On July 28, 2019, following dates across Europe, Baez performed her final concert at Madrid's Teatro Real. In January 2021, Baez received a 2020 Kennedy Center Honor.
House Carpenter
Joan Baez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well met, well met", cried he
"I've just returned from the salt, salt sea
All for the love of thee"
I could have married the king's daughter dear
She would have married me
But I have forsaken her crowns of gold
Well, if you could have married
The king's daughter dear
I'm sure you are to blame
For I am married to a house carpenter
And find him a nice young man
Oh, will you forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me?
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
To the banks of the salt, salt sea
Well, if I should forsake my house carpenter
And go along with thee
What have you got to maintain me on
And keep me from poverty?
Six ships, six ships all out on the sea
Seven more upon dry land
One hundred and ten all brave sailor men
Will be at your command
She picked up her own wee babe
Kisses gave him three
Said, "Stay right here with my house carpenter
And keep him good company"
Then she put on her rich attire
So glorious to behold
And as she trod along her way
She shown like the glittering gold
Well, they'd not been gone
But about two weeks
I know it was not three
When this fair lady began to weep
She wept most bitterly
Ah, why do you weep, my fair young maid
Weep it for your golden store?
Or do you weep for your house carpenter
Who never you shall see anymore?
I do not weep for my house carpenter
Or for any golden store
I do weep for my own wee babe
Who never I shall see anymore
Well, they'd not been gone
But about three weeks
I'm sure it was not four
Our gallant ship sprang a leak and sank
Never to rise anymore
One time around spun our gallant ship
Two times around spun she
Three times around spun our gallant ship
And sank to the bottom of the sea
What hills, what hills are those, my love
That rise so fair and high?
Those are the hills of heaven, my love
But not for you and I
And what hills, what hills are those, my love
Those hills so dark and low?
Those are the hills of hell, my love
Where you and I must go
The House Carpenter is a traditional folk song also known as "The Daemon Lover" and it tells the story of a woman who leaves her family and husband, a humble carpenter, for a sailor who promises to "take her where the grass grows green" and offer her a life of wealth and privilege. She packs her bags and sets off on this new adventure, leaving her child behind, but soon realizes the fatal mistake she has made. The ship, manned by 110 sailors, meets its tragic fate when it sinks and takes everyone down with it. The woman and her new lover find themselves approaching two different destinations, the hills of heaven and the hills of hell.
The lyrics are powerful and emotive, highlighting the human condition of chasing after one's dreams and desires, but sometimes the cost of those dreams can be too great. The woman in the song learns that there is no escape from mortality, that death comes for us all, and that no matter how grand our ambitions may be, in the end, we are all equal in death. The song offers a grim reflection on life and serves as a poignant reminder that we should be grateful for what we already have.
Line by Line Meaning
Well met, well met, my own true love
Well met, well met", cried he
"I've just returned from the salt, salt sea
All for the love of thee
My dear love, I have returned from my voyage. I traveled to the salty sea and a long way back, all just for you.
I could have married the king's daughter dear
She would have married me
But I have forsaken her crowns of gold
All for the love of thee
I could have married the king's daughter and gained a lot of wealth and possessions, but I'd rather be with you and forsake her riches.
Well, if you could have married
The king's daughter dear
I'm sure you are to blame
For I am married to a house carpenter
And find him a nice young man
If you had been offered to marry the king's daughter but refused, the fault is yours as I, myself, am happily married to a house carpenter and find him to be a good man.
Oh, will you forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me?
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
To the banks of the salt, salt sea
Will you leave your carpenter husband and come with me? I will take you to a better place where everything will be perfect, with green lush fields leading to the banks of the salty seas.
Well, if I should forsake my house carpenter
And go along with thee
What have you got to maintain me on
And keep me from poverty?
If I abandon my carpenter husband and go with you, do you have enough means to support and provide for me in a way to keep me from falling into poverty?
Six ships, six ships all out on the sea
Seven more upon dry land
One hundred and ten all brave sailor men
Will be at your command
I have six ships out in the sea and another seven on land. These 110 brave sailors will follow your every command.
She picked up her own wee babe
Kisses gave him three
Said, "Stay right here with my house carpenter
And keep him good company"
The lady took her little child and gave him three kisses. She told him to stay and keep the carpenter company.
Then she put on her rich attire
So glorious to behold
And as she trod along her way
She shone like the glittering gold
She put on her most fanciful clothes, glittering gold that was simply breathtaking to see. As she walked, she shone like the sun's radiance.
Well, they'd not been gone
But about two weeks
I know it was not three
When this fair lady began to weep
She wept most bitterly
They hadn't been gone for more than two weeks, and maybe not even three, when the lady began to cry hard without any control.
Ah, why do you weep, my fair young maid
Weep it for your golden store?
Or do you weep for your house carpenter
Who never you shall see anymore?
Why are you crying, my beautiful lady? Are you weeping about the riches you've left behind, or is it because you will never see your carpenter husband again?
I do not weep for my house carpenter
Or for any golden store
I do weep for my own wee babe
Who never I shall see anymore
I am not crying for my carpenter husband or any possessions. I am crying for my little baby, whom I will never get to see again.
Well, they'd not been gone
But about three weeks
I'm sure it was not four
Our gallant ship sprang a leak and sank
Never to rise anymore
After just three weeks, maybe even less than four, their ship sprang a leak and sank, never to rise again.
One time around spun our gallant ship
Two times around spun she
Three times around spun our gallant ship
And sank to the bottom of the sea
Their ship spun once around before sinking, then twice before it disappeared from view, and three times before it sank into the bottom of the ocean.
What hills, what hills are those, my love
That rise so fair and high?
Those are the hills of heaven, my love
But not for you and I
My love, what hills are those, rising so beautifully and tall? Those are the hills of the afterlife, heaven, but they are not meant for you or me.
And what hills, what hills are those, my love
Those hills so dark and low?
Those are the hills of hell, my love
Where you and I must go
And those dark, low hills there? They are the hills of the underworld, Hell, where the two of us must go.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PIERFRANCESCO DI STOLFO, UMBERTO FERRARO, RICCARDO SADA, N WRITER UNKNOWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniela Anna Bruna
THE HOUSE CARPENTER
"Well met, well met, my own true love
Well met, well met", cried he
"I've just returned from the salt, salt sea
All for the love of thee"
I could have married the king's daughter dear
She would have married me
But I have forsaken her crowns of gold
All for the love of thee
Well, if you could have married
The king's daughter dear
I'm sure you are to blame
For I am married to a house carpenter
And find him a nice young man
Oh, will you forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me?
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
To the banks of the salt, salt sea
Well, if I should forsake my house carpenter
And go along with thee
What have you got to maintain me on
And keep me from poverty?
Six ships, six ships all out on the sea
Seven more upon dry land
One hundred and ten all brave sailor men
Will be at your command
She picked up her own wee babe
Kisses gave him three
Said, "Stay right here with my house carpenter
And keep him good company"
Then she put on her rich attire
So glorious to behold
And as she trod along her way
She shown like the glittering gold
Well, they'd not been gone
But about two weeks
I know it was not three
When this fair lady began to weep
She wept most bitterly
Ah, why do you weep, my fair young maid
Weep it for your golden store?
Or do you weep for your house carpenter
Who never you shall see anymore?
I do not weep for my house carpenter
Or for any golden store
I do weep for my own wee babe
Who never I shall see anymore
Well, they'd not been gone
But about three weeks
I'm sure it was not four
Our gallant ship sprang a leak and sank
Never to rise anymore
One time around spun our gallant ship
Two times around spun she
Three times around spun our gallant ship
And sank to the bottom of the sea
What hills, what hills are those, my love
That rise so fair and high?
Those are the hills of heaven, my love
But not for you and I
And what hills, what hills are those, my love
Those hills so dark and low?
Those are the hills of hell, my love
Where you and I must go
Patrick Playfair Halkett Jackson
Your voice captivated me as a teenager------ at seventy two you still make my spirit soar! Thank you Joan!!!
Conner Ayden
@Joel Ricky glad I could help :D
Joel Ricky
@Conner Ayden It did the trick and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you really help me out!
Joel Ricky
@Conner Ayden thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm trying it out atm.
Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.
Conner Ayden
@Joel Ricky instablaster =)
Joel Ricky
You probably dont care but does someone know of a tool to log back into an instagram account??
I was dumb forgot my login password. I would love any tricks you can give me.
Yahia HABAREK
Hi . I am Algerian Berber . after listening to this beautiful and magic song I realized that there is some similarities between the berber and the Scottish culture .thank you for reviving this song .the same thing for all the artists who do efforts to keep alive their old beautiful traditions and folk songs .
I feel a kind of relaxation which takes me in a journey to the past when i did not exist yet.
✌✌✌🔥♓♓
Cauthon75
Thank you. Here in the USA there are people who get angry and want to fight about cultural differences - saying that we should not enjoy food or clothing or music from other cultures. Seems to me that fighting instead of enjoying our diversity keeps us sad and lonely when we should be having fun :-)
Andrew C.
What a great and interesting tribute, Yahia. You deepen my enjoyment of this song, which reaches back to the early 1960s in central California, where my mother collected early "Vanguard" record albums by Joan.
roohan68
from scotland