The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.
The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.
In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.
They stopped touring and recording in 1943.
In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.
The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.
For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html
The Lover's Farewell
The Carter Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We have spoke our last goodbye
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
You have wrecked the heart I've cherished
You have doomed me day by day
You are false, but I forgive you
For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
On the river bank I'll loiter
Till I'll see your face once more
Then I'll plunge beneath the water
And I'll land on some far shore
Among the trees and bushes
Where the dark green willow waves
In the cold and silent rushes
There you'll find my lonely grave
For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
Oh, I wish I was white marble
Cold and white on some far shore
This poor heart would cease from troubling
And I'd feel the pain no more
For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
"The Lover's Farewell" by The Carter Family is a melancholic song that tells the tale of a couple who have already departed, but still yearn for each other. The song begins with the sad realization that the person the singer loved was falsehearted and they have to part ways. The singer acknowledges that the love of their life has wrecked their heart progressively, but they still cannot forget them. The lyrics express forgiveness towards the loved one, but the pain cannot be ignored, and the singer vows to seek refuge in death. The riverbank, where the loved one used to meet, will be the last place the singer will wait to see their face once more before plunging into the water into the unknown.
The following verses speak about where the singer wants to be buried - among the trees and bushes where the dark green willow waves, and in the cold and silent rushes. The lover's grave will be lonely in a far land, where the loved one can come and search for it. The singer hopes to become white marble in that far country, and the poor heart would cease from troubling forever. The song is about the passionate love that is flowing in the singer's heart, and they cannot forget it, no matter how hard they try.
Line by Line Meaning
We have met and we have parted
We have come together and then gone our separate ways
We have spoke our last goodbye
We have said our final farewell
You have proved to me falsehearted
You have shown yourself to be unfaithful
You may now forever go
You are free to leave and never return
You have wrecked the heart I've cherished
You have destroyed the love that I held dear
You have doomed me day by day
You have caused me to suffer with each passing moment
You are false, but I forgive you
You are untrue, but I choose to offer forgiveness
To forget you, I cannot stay
I must leave this place to try to forget about you
For I love you, dear, I love you
My love for you is strong and unwavering
More than all this world I know
My love for you is greater than anything else in my world
On the river bank I'll loiter
I will linger on the shore of the river
Till I'll see your face once more
Until I see your face again
Then I'll plunge beneath the water
Then I will dive into the water
And I'll land on some far shore
And I will reach a distant shore
Among the trees and bushes
Surrounded by trees and shrubs
Where the dark green willow waves
Where the willow trees sway in the breeze
In the cold and silent rushes
In the chilly and quiet reeds
There you'll find my lonely grave
There is where you will discover my lonely burial place
Oh, I wish I was white marble
I long to be cold, white marble
Cold and white on some far shore
In a faraway location, among the sand and sea
This poor heart would cease from troubling
My troubled heart would finally find peace
And I'd feel the pain no more
And I would not feel any more hurt
Contributed by Ella H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GravityAngel
0:01 We have met and we have parted
We have spoke our last goodbye
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
0:22 You have wrecked the heart I've cherished
You have doomed me day by day
You are false, but I forgive you
To forget you, I cannot stay
0:43 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
1:22 On the river bank I'll loiter
Till I'll see your face once more
Then I'll plunge beneath the water
And I'll land on some far shore
1:42 Among the trees and bushes
Where the dark green willow waves
In the cold and silent rushes
There you'll find my lonely grave
2:00 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
2:20 Oh, I wish I was white marble
Cold and white on some far shore
This poor heart would cease from troubling
And I'd feel the pain no more
2:40 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
GravityAngel
0:01 We have met and we have parted
We have spoke our last goodbye
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
0:22 You have wrecked the heart I've cherished
You have doomed me day by day
You are false, but I forgive you
To forget you, I cannot stay
0:43 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
1:22 On the river bank I'll loiter
Till I'll see your face once more
Then I'll plunge beneath the water
And I'll land on some far shore
1:42 Among the trees and bushes
Where the dark green willow waves
In the cold and silent rushes
There you'll find my lonely grave
2:00 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
2:20 Oh, I wish I was white marble
Cold and white on some far shore
This poor heart would cease from troubling
And I'd feel the pain no more
2:40 For I love you, dear, I love you
More than all this world I know
You have proved to me falsehearted
You may now forever go
Pearlie Ford
I love all the carters songs, they are so simple to play, no shouting with many loud music, easy to hear the words and play on the guitar
Hazen Sweeney
AP's voice was unique and Maybell's guitar was the best .
Norberto Guadagni
¡Una reliquia!
Martin Bunny
Have heard a lot of the C Family but this is the first time I heard A.P. as the lead voice; and a great song too.
betty stephenson
beautiful
Eddie Blue
The first few notes of this song are exactly the final ones of " The Cannonball( Cannonball Blues) ", which precedes this song on the record. Both are great songs, both sung by A.P., both loved and cherished by me....
m vl
Yes this is rather special
Corey Marcum
I wish AP would have sung lead more
bruce smith
Type in ap carter singing in the search bar above and it will give more of his songs.