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The Demon Lover / The House Carpenter

[ Roud 14 ; Master title: The Demon Lover ; Child 243 ; G/D 2:332 ; Ballad Index C243 ; HouseCarpenter at Old Songs ; VWML HAM/5/32/3 , SBG/5/61 ; Bodleian Roud 14 ; trad.]

Sabine Baring-Gould, H. Fleetwood Sheppard: Songs of the West Nick Dow: Southern Songster Alexander Keith: Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs James Kinsley: The Oxford Book of Ballads John Morrish: The Folk Handbook James Reeves: The Everlasting Circle Jean Ritchie: Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians Stephen Sedley: The Seeds of Love

Carolina Tar Heels (Clarence Ashley, Garley Foster and Doc Walsh) recorded Can’t You Remember When Your Heart Was Mine? on 11 October 1928 in Atlanta, Georgia for the Victor shellac record V-40219. And Clarence Ashley recorded The House Carpenter on 14 April 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Columbia shellac record 15654-D. Both recordings were included in 2015 on the Nehi anthology of British songs in the USA, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.

Rebecca King Jones of Crabtree Creek near Raleigh, North Carolina, sang House Carpenter to Anne and Frank Warner in 1940. This recording was included in 2000 on the Appleseed anthology Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still (The Warner Collection Volume 1).

Texas Gladden sang The House Carpenter in a 1946 recording by Moe Ash that was released in 1948 on Disk Records. It was also included in 2001 on her Rounder anthology in the Alan Lomax Collection, Ballad Legacy. John Cohen noted:

“The earliest version of this ballad,” wrote Alan Lomax in his 1948 Disc album notes, “appeared as a printed broadside in 1685 under the tide James Harris, The Daemon Lover. Thirty-two stanzas long and considerably less poetic than Gladden’s folk version, it bore the following introductory note: ‘A warning for Married Women, being an example of a west-country woman … who having plighted her troth to a Seaman, was afterwards married to a carpenter, and at last carried away by a spirit.’ Folk ballad singers greatly improved this story in passing it down through the centuries. … Texas Gladden sings it here in such fine style, with such fire and, at the same dme, with such restrained good taste, that we feel sure this antique tale will again become as popular among the present-day singers as it once was among the people on the American frontier.”

In April 1930, Clarence Ashley recorded The House Carpenter with banjo accompaniment on a Columbia 78 (available on the Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40090). It is amazing to consider that the commercial record business initially issued such songs with little concern for their authenticity or ‘folkness’. But as Clarence Ashley told us in 1961, he duped the record company into recording the song by calling it a ‘lassie-making song’, which they presumed was a reference to courting. It was in fact a song mountain people sang in the kitchen when they made molasses.

Ashley’s text is very close to Gladden’s. In longer versions of the song, as the ship goes down, a large cloud arises out of the wreck, carrying a vision of the devil.

This song has also been recorded by Sara Gunning (Kentucky), Doug Wallin (North Carolina), The Watson Family (North Carolina), Almeda Riddle (Arkansas); and by Joan Baez (California), Bob Dylan (Minnesota), Pentangle (Britain), Tony Rice (bluegrass), and others.

Ada Maddox Allen (Mrs. Oscar Allen) of Lynchburg, Virginia, sang The House Carpenter (The Demon Lover) to Maud Karpeles in September 1950. This recording was included in 2017 on the Musical Traditions anthology of historic recordings of Appalachian singers and musicians, When Cecil Left the Mountains. Rod Stradling noted:

Originally titled James Harris, or, The Daemon Lover, this 17^th century broadside ballad has survived best in the southern uplands of America, although at least one version has been recorded from an Irish singer, and it was still being collected in England at the turn of the last century. Most versions end with the woman seeing Heaven as the ship sinks, but realising that she is actually heading for Hell. Early collectors made much of the ballad’s supernatural elements, but later writers, such as Dave Harker, have paid more attention to the ballad’s role as a vehicle for the social control of married women. (See Harkers article A Warning in Folk Music Journal volume 6, number 3, 1992, pp.299-338, for example).

Andrew Stewart of Blairgowrie, Perthshire, and brother-in-law of Belle Stewart, sang The Daemon Lover to Hamish Henderson in 1953 (School of Scottish Studies SA1953.263.B7) and 1955 (SA1955.151.B7). The first recording was included in 2006 on the Kyloe anthology Hamish Henderson Collects Volume 2. Henderson noted:

This is a fragment of a 17^th century ballad called A Warning for Married Women, written by Laurence Price, which was registered in the Stationer’s Register on 21 February 1657. According to Dave Harker (Folk Music Journal vol. 6, no. 3 (1992) pp. 299-338) the ballad “works very hard to present itself as a very contemporaneous, historically specific and convincingly realist narrative—as real and true”. The ballad seems to have been written in an attempt to control wives, by pointing out what will happen to those who commit adultery. For some reason it has remained extremely popular in the United States of America, although, today, it is seldom found in Britain. Andrew Stewart’s short fragment is therefore extremely important, as it is only one of a handful of recording from a Scottish traditional singer. (The other recordings were made on cylinders by the American collector James Carpenter during the period 1929-35. The singers, all from the North-East of Scotland, were: Bell Duncan of Lambhill, by Inch, Elizabeth Robb of Strichen and Alex Robb of New Deer.) In the Price broadside the man, James Harris, is described as a ‘spirit’. Andrew, however, is adamant that in his view we are dealing with no less than the Devil. Unfortunately, the recording suffers from excessive ‘hum’ which, when reduced, leads to a distortion in the singer’s voice. We have therefore left the track more or less as it is, and trust that listeners will understand. A musical transcription of this track may be found in volume 4 of The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads by Bertrand Harris Bronson (Princeton University Press, 1972, p. 508).

A.L. Lloyd sang The Demon Lover in 1956 on his and Ewan MacColl’s Riverside anthology The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Volume IV. Like all of his recordings from this series it was reissued in 2011 on his Fellside CD Bramble Briars and Beams of the Sun. He recorded this ballad again in 1964 on his and Ewan MacColl’s Topic album English and Scottish Folk Ballads. This track is also on the expanded CD reissue of 1996 and on the compilation Classic A.L. Lloyd. Lloyd noted:

In the 17^th century a very popular ballad was printed by several broadside publishers, entitled: A Warning for Married Women, being an example of Mrs Jane Reynolds (a West-country woman), born near Plymouth, who, having plighted her troth to a Seaman, was afterwards married to a Carpenter, and at last carried away by a Spirit, the manner how shall be presently recited. To a West-country tune called The Fair Maid of Bristol, Bateman, or John True. Samuel Pepys had this one in his collection also. It was a longish ballad (32 verses) but a very poor composition made by some hack poet. Perhaps the doggerel writer made his version on the basis of a fine ballad already current among folk singers. Or perhaps the folk singers took the printed song and in the course of passing it from mouth to mouth over the years and across the shires they re-shaped it into something of pride, dignity and terror. Whatever the case, the ballad has come down to us in far more handsome form than Pepys had it. Though very rarely met with nowadays, it was formerly well-known in Scotland as well as in England. For instance, Walter Scott included a good version in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1812 edn.). Generally the Scottish texts are better than the English ones, none of which tell the full story (we have filled out our version by borrowing some stanzas from Scottish sets of the ballad), but none of the Scottish tunes for it are as good those found in the South and West of England. Our present tune was noted by H. E. D. Hammond from Mrs Russell of Upwey, near Dorchester, Dorset, in 1907 [VWML HAM/5/32/3] . Cecil Sharp considered it “one of the finest Dorian airs” he had seen. Dr Vaughan Williams made a splendid choral setting of the opening verses of this ballad, which he called The Lover’s Ghost.

Lee Monroe Presnell from Beech Mountain, North Carolina, sang The House Carpenter in a recording made by Diane Hamilton, Paul Clayton and Liam Clancy in 1956. It was included in 2000 on the Folk-Legacy anthology Ballads and Songs of Tradition. Presnell’s daughters Lena Armstrong and Etta Jones sang The House Carpenter to Sandy Paton in ca. 1961. This recording was released in 1965 on the Folk-Legacy album The Traditional Music of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, Vol. I. Sandy Paton noted:

Lena Armstrong insisted that Etta, her sister, “help a little” when she recorded this version of Child 243 for us at her home in Poteau, Oklahoma. The ballad came to them through their father, who learned it from his mother who was the daughter of Council Harmon. ‘Uncle Monroe’ tells us that his mother was a great singer and that many of his ballads were learned from her. Several other Beech Mountain singers had versions of this particular ballad, all quite similar to the one recorded here. We chose Lena’s singing of it primarily because her text was most complete, but the decision was not an easy one.

The House Carpenter is one of the most popular traditional ballads in America, although it has virtually disappeared from tradition in the British Isles. Several authors have pointed to the fact that this is likely the result of numerous broadside printings in America, two at least as early as 1857 and 1858, but the broadside texts were apparently taken from traditional versions found in America. Here we have, then, a case wherein the tradition supplied the text for the broadsides which, in turn, reinforced the tradition through the permanence of print.

Jean Ritchie sang The House Carpenter in a 1963 live recording on the Folkways album Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson at Folk City. She noted:

This old ballad has been sung in our family for generations. My mother sang a different version, a sweeter tune. This one I heard most from Uncle Jason Ritchie and from my older sister Una.

Annie Watson, accompanied by Gaither Carlton on fiddle, sang The House Carpenter in 1963 on the Watson Family’s Folkways album The Doc Watson Family. The album’s booklet noted:

The House Carpenter (Child 243) became a very popular song during the 1960’s and worked its way into the repertoires of many well-known performers during the folk revival, notably Joan Baez. Folksong collector, Francis James Child traced the song back to a London broadside ballad licensed 21 February 1657. Annie Watson learned this version as a child.

Pete Seeger sang The House Carpenter at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall in February 1964. A recording of that concert was released in 2016 on his Fellside double CD Pete Seeger in England.

Dillard Chandler of Sodom, Madison County, North Carolina; sang Little Farmer Boy to John Cohen in 1965. This recording was included in 2005 on the Smithsonian Folkways album of “old love songs and ballads” mostly sung by Chandler, Dark Holler. John Cohen noted:

This song is Child 243, well known as the House Carpenter and Daemon Lover. Sharp collected 22 versions (no. 35), nine from nearby North Carolina. Locally, Jane Gentry and Mary Sands were among those he collected it from. Clarence Ashley’s 1927 recording of The House Carpenter is available on the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music (SFW CD 40090). Besides adultery, the song deals with sin, redemption, damnation, and worrying about the baby left behind.

Hedy West sang The House Carpenter on her 1966 Topic album of Appalachian Ballads, Pretty Saro. She noted:

This is the commonest collected version of The Demon Lover (James Harris) in the United States. The oldest known printed version is entitled A Warning for Married Women in which the “heroine” is identified as Mrs. Jane Reynolds, born near Plymouth. The date of the broadside is 1685. A.L. Lloyd says it was almost surely in oral tradition long before that. In the original British forms the returning lover was a ghost who wreaks a terrible revenge on the girl who wouldn’t be faithful to his memory. This is one of the first songs Grandma and [grand uncle] Gus remember hearing their mother sing.

Sweeney’s Men sang The House Carpenter in 1968 on their eponymous first Transatlantic album, Sweeney’s Men. This track was also included in 2002 on the Topic anthology The Acoustic Folk Box.

LaRena Clark sang The House Carpenter in 1969 on her Topic album of folksongs from the province of Ontario, A Canadian Garland. She noted:

The earliest version of the ballad now generally known as The House Carpenter was in the Pepys collection as ‘A Warning for Married Women, being an example of Jane Reynolds (a West country woman), born near Plymouth, who plighted her troth to a Seaman, was afterwards married to a Carpenter, and at last carried away by a Spirit.’ Dr Child gives this and seven other versions apparently derived from it under the title of James Harris (The Demon Lover), and mentions that “An Americanised version of this ballad was printed not very long ago at Philadelphia, under the title of The House Carpenter.” This and a similar broadside printed by De Marsan in New York about 1860 set the pattern for most of the versions reported from tradition in the last century. The ballad is much commoner in North America than in Britain. American singers have dropped the supernatural elements and simplified the plot. For full references, see A Garland of Ontario Folk Songs.

Pentangle learned The House Carpenter from the singing of Jean Ritchie and sang it in 1969 on their third Transatlantic album, Basket of Light. Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle recorded it again in 1998 for their Park album Passe Avant. This track was included in 1999 on the Park sampler A Stroll Through the Park and in 2002 on the Park anthology Women in Folk. The first album’s liner notes commented:

An American Southern ballad derived from an English folk song, The Dandelion Lover, in which the lover is the Devil personified.

Cyril Tawney sang The Carpenter’s Wife in 1969 on his Polydor album of traditional ballads from Devon and Cornwall, The Outlandish Knight. He noted:

Collected by Baring-Could from Joseph Paddon, Flolcombe Burnell, Devon, 21 December 1889 [VWML SBG/5/61] . Of all the airs to this towering ballad the two finest, in my opinion, are from the West of England, specifically the one from Upwey in Dorset and that from Devon given here. Oddly enough the earliest printed form of the words, dating from about 1685, names the heroine as Mrs. Jane Reynolds living near Plymouth, although it is inferior to the traditional ballad and may have been a literary regurgitation by some cheap poet. In its fullest forms the ballad reveals that the sea-captain is the ghost of a former lover or even the Devil himself.

Carole Pegg sang The House Carpenter in 1971 on Mr Fox’s Transatlantic album The Gipsy.

Ewan MacColl sang James Herries in 1972 on his Argo album Solo Flight and in 1986 on his and Peggy Seeger’s album Blood & Roses Volume 5. He noted:

The earliest copies of this ballad are English broadsides belonging to the Restoration period. Pepys included one in his ballads collection, sub-titled:

“A warning for married women, being an example of Mrs Jane Reynolds, a West-country woman, born near Plymouth, who, having plighted her troth to a seaman, was afterwards married to a carpenter, and at last carried away by a Spirit, the manner how shall presently be recited to a West-country tune, etc,”

The ballad appears to have no parallel in European tradition. Child gives eight versions, seven of which are Scots. Less than a hundred years later, Bronson was able to assemble one-hundred-and-forty-five versions, the bulk of which are North American.

Dorothy Rorick of Galax, Virginia, sang The House Carpenter to Joe Wilson on 11 August 1972. This recording was included in 1978 on the Blue Ridge Institute album in their Virginia Traditions series, Ballads From British Tradition. Blanton Owen noted:

When the banjo came into the upper South sometime in the second half of the 1800s, it entered already strong instrumental and vocal traditions. As a consequence, it was made to fit into these traditions as best it could. One pecularity of any picked instrument, including the banjo played in any style, is the necessity to adhere to a strict rhythm in order to play it comfortably and easily. This is especially true in the clawhammer style, in which the strings are struck in a downward motion of the index fingernail, followed by a brush stroke and noting of the fifth string with the thumb. Therefore, when people began to experiment with singing and playing the instrument at the same time, it often required some adjustment of the song’s rhythm. The House Carpenter, perhaps next to Barbara Allen in popularity, seems to be one of the more common Child ballads to be “instrumentalized”. Dorothy’s highly animated style of singing and playing give the song an unusually high energy level and her performance is an excellent example of breakdown banjo playing being successfully used to accompany a narrative song. Her version is most like Child’s B version and is an excellent example of how compressed a highly involved narrative can become. In the short space of eight verses we learn of how two lovers met after a long separation, what each has been up to since their parting, the heartbreak of the woman’s decision to leave her house carpenter husband and babes, and finally the outcome of the whole mess. This same story has been traced to at least 1685, but in American versions the name James Harris, the woman’s cloven-footed lover (the Devil), and other similar details have disappeared. This performance is two verses longer than the one by Dorothy on Rounder #0058, probably because she plays no instrumental “breaks” between some of the verses. In keeping with general old-time Anglo-American tendencies, the banjo accompaniment demonstrated here is the song’s melody; the use of harmony and improvisation is not found. In this style of accompaniment, the use of chords and chording is also not evident. That practice probably was introduced into the upper South either with the guitar or by the traveling minstrel show sometime around the turn of the 20^th century.

Mrs. Rorick learned much of her music, including House Carpenter, from her father Buck Quesinberry. She lived in Ohio for many years but kept up with her music by playing fiddle and banjo with such groups as “The Golden State Cowgirls” and returned to her Virginia home in Dugspur in the late sixties. Many of her songs and tunes reflect West Virginia and Kentucky traits, for her father worked in those states for many years and brought some of the area’s music home with him.

This song was recorded during a jam session at the annual Galax Fiddlers’ Convention and, to say the least, this kind of audience is strikingly different from the old “fireside” situation one normally associates with ballad singing. Although this public performance setting is relatively unusual, it is still found occasionally.

Steeleye Span recorded Demon Lover in 1975 with quite different verses for their seventh album, Commoners Crown. Their source seems to be Child 243 E which is from Motherwell’s manuscripts.

Sarah Ogan Gunning sang The House Carpenter on her 1976 Rounder album The Silver Dagger. Mark Wilson laconically noted:

A good, typical American text of Child 243.

Nimrod Workman of Chattaroy, West Virginia, sang The House Carpenter on 2 March 1976 to Mark Wilson and Ken Irwin. This recording was included in 2007 on the Musical Traditions anthology of folk songs of the Upper South, Meeting’s a Pleasure Volume 2. Mark Wilson noted:

Most Southern singers with sizable repertories know some version of this grand old ballad. […] Nimrod’s text omits the usual middle section where the lady preens by the banks of the sea, yet it extends its denouement greatly, through parallel repetition and the inclusion of the often absent ‘hills of hell’ verses. Nimrod very much liked to perform his songs in this drawn out manner, in the vein of a campfire ‘scary tale’. He told me that he used to entertain his fellow miners in this fashion during their lunch breaks, huddled together along the coal car tracks. As such, it represents a rather different idiom of performance than Sarah Gunning’s drier approach which she acquired from listening to her mother sing about the house. Leonard Roberts’ Up Cutshin and Down Greasy contains an interesting composite that crosses the ‘hills of hell’ quatrains with portions of Shut Up in the Mines of Coal Creek.

The Wassailers sang The Demon Lover in 1978 on their Fellside album Wassailers. This track was also included in 2006 on Fellside’s 40^th anniversary anthology The Journey Continues. They noted on the original album:

James Morris, the Demon Lover, to give its full title, appears in the Child collection and must be one of the most widespread ballads in the English language.

Peter Bellamy sang this song as The Housecarpenter on his 1979 album Both Sides Then. He noted:

This version learned from a recording of the Watson family of Deep Gap, North Carolina, with additional verses from a forgotten source.

Nic Jones sang Demon Lover in an unaccompanied live performance from the late 1960s that was included in 2006 on his Topic CD Game Set Match.

Maggie Holland sang The House Carpenter in 1983 on her Rogue album Still Pause.

Doug Wallin sang The House Carpenter at his home at Crane Branch, Madison County, NC, on 23 May 1983 to Mike Yates. This recording was included in 2002 on the Musical Traditions anthology Far in the Mountains Volume 3. Mike Yates and/or Rod Stradlimg noted:

Originally titled James Harris, or, The Daemon Lover, this 17^th century broadside ballad has survived best in the southern uplands of America, although at least one version has been recorded from an Irish singer, and it was still being collected in England at the turn of the last century. Doug’s reference to heaven and hell is but a shadow of the ballad’s original supernatural element in which the seducer turns himself into a cloven hoofed devil.

Early collectors made much of the ballad’s supernatural elements, but later writers, such as Dave Harker, have paid more attention to the ballad’s role as a vehicle for the social control of married women. (See Harkers article A Warning in Folk Music Journal volume 6, number 3, 1992, pp. 299-338, for example). Stanza 13, by the way, seems to be from another ballad, The Outlandish Knight (Child 4) while stanza 7 is similar to lines found in the ballad of The Green Wedding, a secondary form of the ballad Katharine Jaffray (Child 221, Roud 93), or to stanzas 4 and 10 of Fair Ellender and Lord Thomas (Child 73) as sung by Doug’s uncle, Cas Wallin, on track 16 [on the album]. Interestingly, Doug does not include this verse in his version of Lord Thomas on track 24 [on the album]).

Frank Browne sang The Banks of the Sweet Viledee at home in Tathnollaig, Belnagare, Co Roscommon, on 4 June 1983 to Hugh Shields. This recording was included in 1985 on the Folk Music Society of Ireland anthology Early Ballads in Ireland 1968-1985, reissued on CD in 2015 by An Goílín.

Brian Peters sang The Demon Lover in 1985 on his Fellside album Persistence of Memory and in 2008 on his album of Child ballads, Songs of Trial and Triumph where he noted:

The earliest known text of this ballad is a broadside attributed to James Price, dated 1657 and bearing the snappy little title: “A warning for married Women. By the example of Mrs. Jane Renalds, a West-Country Woman, born neer unto Plymouth; who having plighted her troth to a Sea-man, was afterwards Married to a Carpenter, and at last carried away by a Spirit”. This runs to an equally long-winded 32 verses, the first seventeen of which appear in none of the later versions presented by Child, and in which the sinister conclusion more recently associated with the ballad is replaced by banal grieving and moralising. So was the horror-movie stuff added later, or did Price bowdlerize an earlier, darker tale?

My verses are cherry-picked from Child. The earlier ones are found in most of his eight (largely Scots) versions and are also common in the Appalachian descendent The Housecarpenter, but the final fate of the ship is variable, its demolition by the demon occurring in only one of Child’s texts (F). The cloven foot is sighted in two (E&F), but I’ve been unable to find a traditional source for the ‘tall and taller’ verse and suspect it may have been added much later by A.L.s  Lloyd. Nice verse, though.

No contest for a tune: Robert and Henry Hammond noted a version from Marina Russell of Upwey, Dorset, in 1907 [VWML HAM/5/32/3] . Mrs. Russell had only three verses, essentially 1, 5 and 6 here, but hers is the most dramatic melody you could wish for to accompany such a horrific tale.

If you want to know more about the history of this ballad, you might look up Clinton Heylin’s book Dylan’s Demon Lover, an appealing mixture of the academic and the vernacular which contains an impressive amount of research by any standards, let alone coming from an author whose previous publications run to a biography of Mr. Zimmerman and a history of punk rock.

Geraldine MacGowan sang The Demon Lover on her 1999 album Timeless. She noted:

This is a mixture of two very old ballads, the other being The House Carpenter.

Robin Holcomb & Todd Rundgren sang The House Carpenter at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Los Angeles, in April 2001. The recording was included in 2006 on the album revisiting Harry Smith’s 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, The Harry Smith Project.

Sara Grey sang The House Carpenter in 2002 on her Tradition Bearers album Boy, She’s a Daisy. She noted:

Also known as The Demon Lover in Child or James Harris—very widely sung all over the UK and the US. This Ozark version I learned from friends and great musicians, Cathy Barton and Dave Para of Boonesville, Missouri. They, in turn, learned it from a recording of Noble Cowden of Cusman, Arkansas. The wonderful Travis style rhythm came from her playing. I think it brings to the forefront the strong cross-over from black music and its influence on white ballad style. It’s essentially the same song Sir Walter Scott published in 1812 except the lover is no longer a demon in the British versions and the lovers both drown when their ship goes down in a storm.

Geordie McIntyre sang The Daemon Lover in 2003 on his and Alison McMorland’s Tradition Bearers album Ballad Tree. He noted:

Hamish Henderson informs us that the earliest recorded version of this is an English Broadside dated 1685 and is “a clear example of how, in this instance, a stilted and prosaic broadside has been transformed into strong poetry by virtue of oral transmission”.

The ghost of a dead sailor returns to claim his expected bride. The now married woman is enchanted on board a phantom ship where malevolent intent and his true identity is revealed. A terrible revenge is enacted. The victim’s final sea-bed destination relates to the ancient belief of a pre-Christian hell—a cold place lying to the North.

I learned this from the singing of Bert Lloyd (A.L. Lloyd) about forty years ago. Bert was a masterful and inspiring singer of tales. I was privileged to know him.

Benji Kirkpatrick sang The Ship Carpenter in 2004 on his Fellside album Half a Fruit Pie. He noted:

A version of The Daemon Lover (Child 243) from America. It was collected from Clay Walters, Salyersville, Kentucky in 1937.

Ed Rennie sang Little House Carpenter in 2004 on his Fellside CD Narrative. He noted:

A variant of The Daemon Lover from the American singer Hedy West. Unfortunately I fear the tune may have got slightly damaged in transit. I added a couple of verses from another source because I thought they helped.The ballad seems to have survived better in North America where it is more commonly known as either The House Carpenter or The Ship’s Carpenter.

Brett and Rennie Sparks sang The House Carpenter with Oysterband live in May 2004 before a small audience at Bush Hall, London. This recording was released in the same year on Oysterband’s Westpark album The Big Session Volume 1.

Martin Simpson sang The House Carpenter in 2005 on his Topic album Kind Letters, in 2006 on his Sound Techniques DVD Guitar Maestros, and in 2020 on his Topic album Home Recordings. He noted on the last album:

The banjo part on House Carpenter is in the same tuning I used for the clawhammer version on Kind Letters but down a whole step. With the capo at the second fret the notes are FDADE, giving you a wonderful minor 3^rd drone against an open Major 2^nd… instant creepiness. I have recorded the ballad three times now. It is also known as James Harris or The Demon Louer, and is Child Ballad number 243.

Emily Portman sang The Demon Lover in ca. 2005 as the title track of The Devil’s Interval’s EP Demon Lovers. Alasdair Roberts and Emily Portman sang The Daemon Lover in 2010 on Roberts’ CD Too Long in This Condition. He noted:

From the singing of Andrew Stewart, brother-in-law of Belle Stewart, matriarch of the renowned Stewarts of Blairgowrie. A two-verse fragment of the ballad was recorded from Andrew by Hamish Henderson, the verses in question being those two which begin “what hill, what hill is thon I see?” The ballad is widely known in North American tradition as The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter.

They recorded The Demon Lover with Emily Portman singing on The Furrow Collective’s 2014 album At Our Next Meeting. She noted:

A.L. Lloyd gives me goose bumps in his version of this 17^th century ballad. I’ve since heard many beguiling variants but I always return to this one for its poetic turns of phrase and eerie tune (collected from Mrs Russell of Upwey, Dorset [VWML HAM/5/32/3] ). It may have started out as a moral tale but I like the ambiguity of this retelling.

This video shows The Furrow Collective at The Glad Cafe in Glasgow on 22 February 2014:

Cara sang The House Carpenter on their 2007 album In Between Times and on their 2008 DVD In Full Swing—Live. They noted:

This is a haunting version of an old ballad which has been done by many singers including Bob Dylan. It is also called James Harris or The Demon Lover (Child coll. #243) and dates back to a song by London-based ballad writer Laurence Price in 1657. The original title was A Warning for Married Women and is based on the story of Mrs. Jane Reynolds, “a West-Country Woman, born near Plymouth; who having plighted her troth to a Sea-man, was afterwards Married to a Carpenter, and last carried away by a Spirit…” It has everything a good ballad needs: a lovely lady, a husband, a lover, ships, heartbreak, death and the devil—what more can you ask for? Sandra [Steinort] found this version on an album by Mick McAuley [An Ocean’s Breadth, 2003].

Frankie Armstrong sang Demon Lover on her 2008 Fellside CD Encouragement. She noted:

Often known as The House Carpenter this is one of the most spine chilling of ballads. It shifts between the domestic and the mythic and lands us in truly Archetypal territory. I’ve collated a text from various versions and have used the wonderful tune from the Scottish version Jamie Harris.

Paul and Liz Davenport sang The Demon Lover in 2008 on their Hallamshire Traditions album Songbooks. They noted:

A blackletter broadside tells that Jane Reynolds was the name of the girl who ran off with her lover and was never seen again. The broadside is full of detail and, of course, religious zeal and prejudice. Like all traditional sea disasters there must have been a single survivor to write this eyewitness account.

James Findlay sang Demon Lover in 2009 on his first album, As I Carelessly Did Stray. He noted:

This version is almost a “short and sweet” take on the Child Ballad Jane Reynolds and James Harris. In that take on the story Jane is a young lass from around Plymouth. Now Jane’s just getting married to her “comely proper youth” James, when in bursts the press-gang right on cue. So off he trots to sea for three years, and then dies. Jane then marries a carpenter. Four years, three kids down the line who appears on the scene; yeah it’s Jimbo the friendly ghost. After a short bit of banter she decides sod the kids, the husband, the house and the car, “I’m off to sea with my dead ex”. And they were never seen again. Then the poor old carpenter hangs himself. In fact that version’s just so much more interesting than mine. Sorry.

Gavin Davenport sang House Carpenter in 2010 on his Hallamshire Traditions album Brief Lives. He noted:

Again, this began as a memory of verses from several other versions, ranging from those of Peter Bellamy to Kelly Joe Phelps, but as I set about making my own I inadvertently wedded it to a version of Mike Waterson’s Tam Lin tune.

Andy Irvine sang The Demon Lover on his 2010 album Abocurragh. He noted:

Not for the faint hearted! This is another Child Ballad—#243. Though the basic elements of this song have often been found in Appalachia, as The House Carpenter, the song seems to have died out in Britain and Ireland.

Hence the tune is my own, though just what is the time signature, is beyond me. I remember singing this—to the House Carpenter tune—back in the sixties at The Green Lounge, a long vanished pub and folk club in Dublin. When I got to the verse about the cloven foot, the frightened intake of breath from the audience nearly sucked me and my guitar off the stage!

Jon Boden sang The House Carpenter as the 22 May 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day. He noted in his blog:

Learnt this recently—I’m a bit torn whether to use the ‘sinking’ verse or not as I quite like the ‘what hills’ verses being more abstract—more like he’s an actual demon taking her directly to Hell. I’ve left it in for now though.

Rosaleen Gregory sang The Daemon Lover in 2013 on her second album of Child ballads, Serpent’s Knee. She noted:

I’ve always been struck by the seductive power of this ballad, which is why—like Child—I retain the ‘a’ in ‘daemon’, reinforcing the portrayal of the protagonist as something more irresistible and troubling than the word ‘demon’ suggests and closer to a Greek ‘daemon’—a supernatural being somewhere between gods and humans. This moral ambiguity/ambivalence swirls through the ballad like mist, clouding the carpenter’s wife’s vision so that only when she misses her little son does she finally realize that she has made a terrible choice—and now it’s too late.

Similarly, the ‘banks of Italy’ are no mere tourist destination; in Elizabethan/Jacobean England Shakespeare and Webster, among others, reinforce the image of Italy as a beautiful but dangerous place, the haunt of amoral characters such as Machiavelli and the Borgia dynasty.

All this may sound pretentious at best—I’m just indicating the effect this particular ballad has on me and the connotations and allusions it calls up.

Martha Tilston sang The House Carpenter on her 2014 album The Sea. She noted:

Nathan [Ball] and I have played around the same underground festival scene for years now and have become good friends. When we do gigs together we quite often end with this duet. It seemed natural to include this song on the album as it has such a strong sea theme.

This song has been used in the past as a morality tale, a warning; but I like how this version uses consequence more than judgment to tell the tale.

It is a song of the struggle between love and duty, freedom and responsibility—a constant quandary through all the ages I don’t doubt.

Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys sang The Shining Ship on their 2017 CD Pretty Peggy. They noted:

A dark tale in which a lady’s lover, long lost at sea, returns to her and persuades her to come away with him to a distant land. After boarding the ship, she realises that not all is as it seems…

Jon Bickley sang House Carpenter on the 2018 download album Live at the Invisible Folk Club No 9.

Jim and Susie Malcolm sang The Daemon Lover on their 2022 CD Auld Toon Shuffle. They noted:

We love call and answer songs, but this one is diabolical. It’s based on the true story of a Plymouth woman who, in 1685, had been betrothed to a sailor but married another while he was at sea. Then she mysteriously disappeared. Ceordie McIntyre’s singing inspired us.

Adrienne O’Shea sang The House Carpenter on her 2023 album Threads of Gold. She noted:

This is an old American song with countless versions, but I originally learned this from Dáithí Sproule. Every version ends in tragedy with a mother drowning at sea—except for this one. My mother rewrote the ending of this song to have the mother go back to her baby, and there is no other version I could record and sing but this.

Lyrics

Marina Russell sings Well Met, Well Met My Own True Love

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Long time have I been absent from thee.
I am lately come from the salt sea,
And ’tis all for the sake, my love, of thee.

“I have three ships all on the salt sea,
And (by) one of them has brought me safe to land.
I’ve four and twenty mariners on board;
You shall have music at your command.

“The ship, my love, that you shall sail in,
It shall be of the fine beaten gold.
I’ve four and twenty mariners on board;
It is a beauty for to behold.”

Texas Gladden sings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, you old true-love,
Well met, well met,” said he;
“I’ve just returned from the seashore sea,
From the land where the grass grows green.

“Well, I could have married a king’s daughter there,
And she would have married me;
But I refused the golden crown
All for the sake of thee.

“If you’ll forsake your house carpenter,
And come and go with me,
I’ll take you where the grass grows green,
To the lands on the banks of the sea.”

She went and picked up her sweet little babe
And kissed it one, two, three,
Saying, “Stay at home with your papa, dear,
And keep him good company.”

She went and dressed in her very best,
As everyone could see.
She glistened and proudly she walked
The streets on the hanks of the sea.

They hadn’t been sailing but about three weeks,
I’m sure it was not four,
Till this young lady began to weep,
And her weeping never ceased anymore.

“Are you mourning for your house carpenter?
Are you mourning for your store?"
“No, I’m mourning for my sweet little babe,
That I never will see anymore.”

They hadn’t been sailing but about four weeks,
I’m sure it was not more,
Till the ship sprang a leak from the bottom of the sea,
And it sank to rise no more.

Ada Maddox Allen sings The House Carpenter (The Demon Lover)

“Well met, well met, my own true-love,
Well met, well met”, says he,
“I’ve just returned from the salt-water sea
And was all for the sake of thee.

“I once could have married a King’s daughter dear
And she would have married me,
But I refused a crown of gold
And was all for the sake of thee.”

“If you could have married a King’s daughter dear,
(?) married at your command,
For I have married a house-carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man;
And I have married a house-carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man.”

“If you forsake your house-carpenter
And come and go with me,
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of sweet (Bellie?)”

She picked her up, her baby up,
And kisses gave it three,
Saying, “Stay at home, my darling little babe,
And keep your dad’s company.”
Saying, “Stay at home, my darling little babe,
And keep your dad’s company.”

They had not been on the sea two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
Before the lady she began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.

“Are you weeping for your house-carpenter?
Or are you weeping for your gold?
Or are you weeping for your house-carpenter
Whose face you’ll see no more?”

“I am not weeping for my house-carpenter
Or neither for my gold.
I’m weeping for my darling little babe
Whose face I’ll see no more,
I’m weeping for my darling little babe
Whose face I’ll see no more,”

They had not been on the sea three weeks,
I’m sure it was not four,
Before the ship it sprang a leak
And it sank to rise no more.

Andrew Stewart sings The Daemon Lover

“What hill, what hill is thon I see,
As white as any snow?”
“Thon is the hill of Heaven,” he said,
“Where all good people go.”

“What hill, what hill is thon I see,
As black as any crow?”
“Thon is the hill of Hell,” he said,
“Where you and I must go.”

A.L. Lloyd sings The Demon Lover

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Long time I have been absent from thee.
I am lately come from the salt sea
And it’s all for the sake, my love, of thee.”

“I have three ships all on the sea
And by one of them has brought me to land.
I’ve four and twenty seamen on board
And you shall have music at your command.”

She says, “I am now wed to a ship’s carpenter,
To a ship carpenter I am bound.
And I wouldn’t leave my husband dear
For twice the sum of ten hundred pound.”

“Well I might have a king’s daughter,
And fain she would have married me.
But I forsook her crown of gold
And it was all for the sake, my love, of thee.”

“So I pray you leave your husband, dear,
And sail away with me.
And I’ll take you where the white lilies grow
All on the banks of Italy.”

“And this ship wherein my love shall sail
Is wondrous to behold.
The sails shall be of shining silk
And the mast shall be of red beaten gold.”

So she dressed herself in her gay clothing
Most glorious to behold,
And as she trod the salt water’s side
Oh she shone like glittering gold.

They hadn’t sailed a day and a day
And a day but barely three,
She cast herself down on the deck
And she wept and wailed most bitterly.

“Oh hold your tongue, my dearest dear,
Let all your sorrows be.
I’ll take you where the white lilies grow
All on the bottom of the sea.”

And as she turned herself roundabout,
So tall and tall he seemed to be,
Until the tops of that gallant ship
No taller were than he.

And he struck the topmast with his hand,
The main mast with his knee,
And he broke that shining ship in two
And he dashed it into the bottom of the sea.

Lena Armstrong and Etta Jones sing The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, my old true love.”
“Well met,” she replied to me.
𝄆 “I’m just returning from the salt, salt sea
And it’s all for the love of thee. 𝄇

“I could have married the king’s daughter
And she would have married me,
𝄆 But I’ve forsaken her silver and gold,
And it’s all for the love of thee.” 𝄇

“If you could have married the king’s daughter,
I’m sure you’d have better been;
𝄆 For I am married to a house carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man.” 𝄇

“If you will leave your house carpenter
And go along with me,
𝄆 I’ll take you where the grass is ever green
On the banks of Sweet Willie.” 𝄇

She picked up her sweet little babe
And kisses gave it three.
𝄆 Says, “Stay at home, you sweet little babe,
And keep your papa company.” 𝄇

They had not been on board two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
𝄆 Till this young lady begin to weep
And she wept most bitterly. 𝄇

“Is it for my gold you weep,
Or is it for my store?
Or is it for your sweet little babe
You never shall see any more?
Or is it for your house carpenter
You never shall see any more?”

“It’s neither for your gold I weep;
It’s neither for your store.
But it is for my sweet little babe
I never shall see any more.
It is for my house carpenter
I never shall see any more.”

They had not been on board three weeks,
I’m sure it was not four,
𝄆 Till she cut a little leak in her true love’s ship
And it sank, to rise no more. 𝄇

“Farewell, farewell to all seamen,
Farewell, farewell to thee;
You’ve robbed me of my house carpenter
I never no more shall see.
You’ve robbed me of my sweet little babe
I never no more shall see.”

𝄆 “Your body will lie in the bottom of the sea;
Your soul will burn in hell.” 𝄇

Jean Ritchie sings The House Carpenter

Well, I once could have married the king’s third son
And a fine young man was he,
But now I’m married to a house carpenter
𝄆 And a nice young man is he. 𝄇

“O will you forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me?
I will take you to where the grass grows green
𝄆 On the banks of the river Dee.” 𝄇

“What will you have to maintain me upon
To keep me from slavery?”
“Well, I have seven ships, they will soon be at land
𝄆 And at your command shall be.” 𝄇

She took her two babes by their hand
And gave them kisses three,
Saying, “Stay at home, you darling little babes,
𝄆 Keep your father sweet company.” 𝄇

Now she dressed herself in her very best
Like a high-born lady was she,
She shimmered and she shammered and she lightly stepped
𝄆 As they walked by the banks of the sea. 𝄇

Well, she hadn’t been gone but a short, short time
Until she wept full sore,
“I would give all the gold in this round world
𝄆 Just to see my babes once more.” 𝄇

“Well, if you had all the gold and the silver too
That ever crossed the sea,
You never would be at land anymore
𝄆 And your babes you’ll never more see.” 𝄇

O they hadn’t been sailing but a short, short time,
’Bout two weeks, three or four,
When the ship sprang a leak and they were doomed
𝄆 And they were far away from the shore. 𝄇

“I see bright hills of Heaven, my dear,
Where angels come and go.
I see bright hills”—“That’s Hell, my dear,
𝄆 Where you and I must go.” 𝄇

O I wish I was back to my house carpenter,
I’m sure he would treat me well.
But here I am in the raging sea
𝄆 And my soul is bound for Hell. 𝄇

Annie Watson sings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met,” said an old true love,
“Well met, well met,” said he.
“I’m just returning from the salt, salt sea,
And it’s all for the love of thee.”

“Come in, come in, my own true love,
And have a sit with me.
It’s been three-fourths of a long, long year
Since together we have been.”

“I can’t come in and I can’t sit down,
For I have but a moment’s time.
They say you’re married to a house carpenter,
And your heart will never be mine.”

“I could have married the king’s daughter fair,
And she would have married me.
But 1 have forsaken her crowns of gold.
And it’s all for the love of thee.”

“Now will you forsake your house carpenter
And go along with me.
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of Iteree.”

She pick-ed up her little babe
And kisses gave it three.
Saying, “Stay right here, my darling little babe,
And keep your papa company.”

They had not been on the ship two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
’Til his true love began to weep and mourn
And she wept most bitterly.

“Are you weeping for my silver and my gold?
Are you weeping for my store?
Or are you weeping for that house carpenter
Whose face you’ll never see any more?”

“A curse, a curse,” to the sailor she cried,
“A curse, a curse,” she swore.
“You’ve robbed me of my sweet little babe
That I never shall see no more.”

They had not been on board three weeks,
I am sure it was not four,
Until there came a leak in the ship
And it sunk for to rise no more.

Cyril Tawney sang The Carpenter’s Wife

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Long time am I a-seeking of thee.
I’m lately come from the salt, salt sea
And all for the sake, sweet love, of thee.

“I might have had a king’s daughter,
She would fain have married me.
I naught did care for her crown of gold
And all for the sake, sweet love, of thee.”

“If you might have had a king’s daughter
Then I think you are much to blame.
I would not it were for a hundred pounds
That my husband should know the same.”

“For my husband he is a carpenter,
A carpenter good is he.
By him I have gotten a little son
Or else I would go, sweet love, with thee.

“But if I should leave my husband dear
And my fair sweet little boy also,
O what have you got so far away
That along with thee I should go?”

“I have seven ships that sail on the sea,
O it was one brought me to land.
I have mariners many to wait on thee
To be, sweet love, at thy command.

“A pair of slippers thou shalt have
And they are made of the beaten gold.
They’re lined within with coney skin
To keep thy feet from the cold.

“A gilded boat thou also shall have
The oars they shall be gilded also
And the mariners they shall pipe and sing
As through the salt waves we go.”

They had not rowed a bowshot off,
A bowshot upon the main,
But over her shoulder she looked back:
“O I wish I was home again!”

They had not rowed a bowshot off,
A bowshot from the land,
And over her shoulder she looked and said:
“O set me back on the yellow sand.

“For I have a child in my little chamber
And I think I can hear him cry.
I would not, I would not my babe should wake
And his mother not be standing by.”

The captain he smiled and stroked his arm
And said, “No, this it may not be.
Behind is the shore and the sea is before
And thou must go, sweet love, with me.”

She had not been long upon the sea,
No, not long upon the deep,
Before that she was a-wringing her hands
And loudly did she wail and weep.

“O why do you wail and wherefore weep
And wring your hands?” then said he,
“Do you weep for the gold that is in the hold
Or do you weep for my fee?”

“I do not weep for your gold,” she said,

“No, nor yet do I weep for your fee,
But by the masthead is my baby dead
And I weep, I weep for my dead baby.”

She had not a-been upon the seas
But days, they were three or four,
And never a word she spoke nor stirred.
And she looked always towards the shore.

She had not a-been upon the seas
But six days of the week,
Before that she lay as cold as the clay
And never a word could she speak.

They had not a-sailed upon the seas
Of weeks there were but three or four,
But down to the bottom the ship did swim
And never was she heard of more.

And when the news to England came
The carpenter’s wife she was drowned,
The carpenter rent his hair and wept
And then as dead he swound.

“O curse be on all sea captains
That lead such a Godless life!
They will ruin a good ship’s carpenter,
His little one and his wife.”

Ewan MacColl sing James Herries

“O, are ye my faither or are ye my mither
Or are ye my brither John?
Or are ye James Herries, my ain true love
To Scotland com again”

“I’m no’ your faither, I’m no’ your mither,
I’m no’ your brither John.
But I am James Herries, your ain true love
To Scotland com again.

“O, see ye no’ yon seiven ships?
The eigth brocht me to land,
I’ve merchandise and mariners
And wealth on every hand.”

“But I am married to a carpenter,
Earns his breid upon dry land,
And I hae borne him a bonnie young son
And wi’ you I winna gang.”

“O, ye maun leave your husband dear
And come awa’ wi’ me,
I’ll tak you whaur the white lilies grow
On the banks o’ Italy.”

Then she has gane tae her bonnie young son
And kissed baith cheek and chin,
And syne tae her husband, sleepin’ soond,
And done the same wi’ him.

They had nae sealed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When she minded her man and her bonnie young son
And grat maist bitterly.

“O, haud your tongue, my sprightly flooer,
Let a’ your mournin’ be,
I’ll tak ye whaur the blind fishes swim
At the bottom o’ the sea.”

And aye he grew and higher he grew
And sae tall he seemed to be
Till the topmost mast o’ that bonnie ship
Nae taller was than he.

He struck the topmast wi’ his haund
And kicked the mainmast doon,
And he broke that bonnie ship in twa
And a’ the folk were drooned.

Dorothy Rorick sings The House Carpenter

“We met, we met,” cried an old true love,
“We met, we met,” cried she.
“I’m just returning from the salt, salt sea,
And it’s all for the sake of thee.

“I once could have married to a king’s daughter dear,
And I’m sure she’d a-married me,
But I refused her crown of gold,
And it’s all for the sake of thee.”

“Now if you could have married to a king’s daughter dear,
I am sure you were much to blame,
For I am married to a house carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man.”

“But if you will leave your house carpenter,
And come and go with me,
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks ofthe deep blue sea.”

Well, she called her three little babes to her knee,
And she gave them kisses three,
Saying, “Stay at home my three little babes
And keep your Papa company.”

They hadn’t been gone but about two weeks,
And I’m sure it was not three,
Till that gay lady began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.

“It’s neither for your gold I leave,
And it’s neither for your store,
But it is for my three little babes,
That I never shall see anymore.”

Now they hadn’t been gone but about three weeks
And I’m sure that it was not four,
Till they sprang a leak in that old ship
And it sank to rise no more.

Steeleye Span sing Demon Lover

“Where have you been, my long lost love,
This seven long years and more?”
“Seeking gold for thee, my love,
And riches of great store.”

“I might have married a king’s daughter
Far, far beyond the sea.
But I refused the golden crown
All for the love of thee.”

“What have you to keep me with
If I with you should go?
If I forsake my husband dear
And my young son also?”

Chorus:
𝄆 I’ll show you where the white lilies grow
On the banks of Italy,
I’ll show you where the white fishes swim
At the bottom of the sea. 𝄇

“Seven ships all on the sea,
The eighth brought me to land,
With four and twenty mariners
And music on every hand.”

She set her foot upon the ship,
No mariners could behold.
The sails were of the shining silk,
The masts of beaten gold.

Chorus

“What are yon high, high hills
The sun shines sweetly in?”
“Those are the hills of heaven, my love,
Where you will never win.”

Chorus

“What is that mountain yonder there
Where evil winds do blow?”
“Yonder’s the mountain of hell,” he cried,
“Where you and I must go.”

He took her up to the topmast high
To see what he could see.
He sunk the ship in a flash of fire
To the bottom of the sea.

Chorus

Sarah Ogan Gunning sings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, my old true love,
Well met, well met,” said he.
“I just returned from the salty sea
All for the sake of thee.

“I could have married a king’s daughter,
I’m sure she’d a-married me.
But I forsaken the crown of gold
All for the sake of thee.”

“You should have married a king’s daughter,
I’m sure you’d have been so grand.
But I am married to a house carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man.”

“If you will forsake your house carpenter
And come along with me,
I’ll take you where the lilies grow green
On the banks of some sweet river.”

Then she picked up her little babe
And kissed it one, two, three,
Saying, “Stay here, stay here, my pretty little babe
And keep your father company.”

They hadn’t been a-sailing but about two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
When this young lady began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.

“Are you weeping for my silver,
Are you weeping for my store?
Are you weeping for your house carpenter
You never will see anymore?”

“I’m not weeping for your silver, sir,
Or weeping for your store.
I’m weeping for my pretty little babe
I never will see no more.”

They hadn’t been sailing but about three weeks
I’m sure it was not four
’Til there came a leak from the bottom of the ship
And they sank to arise no more.

Nimrod Workman aings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, my old true love,
Well met, well met,” said she.
“So who are you married to, my little love
Come and tell me if you can?”
“I’m married to a house carpenter
And I think he’s a nice young man.”

“If you will forsake that house carpenter;
Come and go along with me,
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of yon deep blue sea.”

She picked up her tender little babe
Kisses she gave it three
“Just stay right here, my tender little babe
And keep your papa company.”

They sailed on about one week
Sure that it was not three
’Til she began to weep and to mourn
And she mourned most pitifully.

“What are you weeping for, my love?
Are you weeping for your store?
Are you weeping for that house carpenter
Whose face you’ll see no more?”

“Neither weeping for that house carpenter
Neither weeping for my store.
I am weeping for my tender little babe
Whose face I’ll see no more.”

They sailed on about two weeks
Sure that it were not three
’Til she began to weep and to mourn
And she mourned most piteously.

“What hills, what hills is that, little love
That look so bright and low?”
“That is the hills of heaven, little love
Where you and I can’t go.”

They sailed on about two weeks
Sure that it was not three
’Til she began to weep and to mourn
And she mourned most piteously.

“What hills, what hills is that, little love
That look so bright and low?”
"That is the hills of heaven, little love
Where you and I can’t go.”

They sailed on about two weeks
Sure that it were not three
’Til she began to weep and to mourn
And she mourned most piteously.

“What hills, what hills is that, little love
That look so dark and low?”
“That is the hills of hell, little love
Where you and I must go.”

They sailed on about three weeks
Sure that it were not four
They sprung a leak in the bottom of their ship
And she sunk for to rise no more.

Peter Bellamy sings The Housecarpenter

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met,” says he,
“I’ve just returned from the salt, salt sea
And it’s all for the love of thee.”

“So come in, come in, oh my own true love,
And have a seat with me.
It’s been three-fourths of a long long year
Since together we have been.”

“Oh I can’t come in nor I won’t sit down,
For I have but a moment’s time.
For they say you are married to a house carpenter
So your heart would never be mine.

“And yet I could have married some king’s daughter fair,
And she would have married me,
But I forsaked her crowns of gold
And it’s all for the love of thee.

“So it’s won’t you forsake on your house carpenter
And come along with me?
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of Italy.”

So she’s lifted up her little young son
And kisses she’s gave it three, saying,
“Stay right here my darling little babe
And keep your papa company.”

Now they’d not been on board above two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
When his true love began to weep and moan
And she wept most bitterly.

“Are you weeping for your silver and your gold?
Are you weeping for your store?
Or are you weeping for your house carpenter
Whose face you’ll never see no more?”

Oh, a curse, a curse on the sailor she cried,
Yes a curse, a curse she swore,
“You’ve robbed me of my little young son
So I never shall see him no more!”

“Oh what hills, what hills art those, my love,
Those hills that shine like gold?”
“Those are the hill of Heaven, my love,
Where you and I can’t go.”

“And what hills, what hills art those, my love,
Those hills so dark and cold?”
“Those are the hill of Hell, my love,
Where you and I must go.”

Now they’d not been on board above three weeks,
I’m sure it was not four,
Before there came a leak in the ship
And she sunk and the never rose more.

Doug Wallin sings The House Carpenter

“We’ve met, we’ve met, my old true-love.
We’ve met once more,” said he.
“’ve just returned from the salt, salt sea,
And it’s all for the sake of thee.

“Now I could have married a king’s daughter dear,
And I’m sure she’d have married me.
But I’ve forsaken all her gold,
For the love I have for thee.”

“If you could have married a king’s daughter dear,
You had better have married she.
For I’ve lately married a house carpenter,
And a nice young man is he.”

“If you forsake your house carpenter,
And come along with me,
I’ll take you where the grass grows green
On the banks of Sicily.”

“If I’ll forsake my house carpenter,
And come along with thee,
Pray tell me what you have on land and sea
To keep me from slavery.”

“I have three ships upon the sea,
They’re making for dry land.
I have three hundred jolly sailor boys,
You can have them at your own command.”

Then she dressed up in a yellow robe,
Most glorious to behold.
She walked the street around and about,
And she shined like glittering gold.

The she picked up her tender little babe,
And kisses gave it one, two, three.
“Stay at home, stay at home, you tender little babe,
And keep your papa company.”

They hadn’t been sailing on the sea two weeks,
I sure it wasn’t three.
’Til she began to weep, and she began to mourn,
She wept most bitterly.

“Are you weeping o’er my house?
Are you weeping for my store?
Are you weeping for your house carpenter,
Who’s face you’ll see no more?”

“No I’m not weeping for your house.
Neither for your store.
I’m weeping for my tender little babe,
Whom I left a-sitting on the floor.”

They hadn’t been sailing on the sea three weeks,
I’m sure it wasn’t four,
’Til the ship struck a rock, to the bottom she go,
She goes to rise no more.

“Take me out, oh, take me out,
Take me out,” cried she.
“For I’m too rich and cost-er-lee,
To rot in the salt water sea.

“Now don’t you see that white cloud a-rising?
As white as any snow.
There is a place called heaven you know,
Where my tender little babe will go.

“Now don’t you see that black cloud a-rising?
As black as any crow.
There is a place called hell you know,
Where you and I must go.”

Geraldine MacGowan sings The Demon Lover

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
“Well met, well met,” cried he.
I’ve just returned from the salt, salt seas,
All for the love of thee.

”I could have a merchant’s daughter, dear,
She would have married me.
But I have forsaken her gold and jewels,
All for the love of thee.”

“If you could have married a rich merchant’s daughter,
I’m sure you are to blame.
For I am married to a house carpenter
And I find him a nice young man.”

“If I forsake my house carpenter
And go along with thee,
What have you got to maintain me on
And keep me from poverty?”

“Seven ships upon the sea,
The eighth brought me to land,
With four-and-twenty brave sailing men
And music on every hand.”

She’s taken up her little young son
And kissed him cheek to chin.
“Oh, fare thee well my own wee babe,
For I’ll never see you again.”

They had not sailed but about three weeks,
I’m sure it was not more,
When she began to weep and mourn
And to think of her young son.

“Oh, hold your tongue my own dearest dear,
And let your mourning be.
I’ll show you where the white fishes swim
On the bottom of the sea.”

He’s struck the topmast with his hand,
The foremast with his knee.
He’s broken the gallant ship in two
And sank her in the sea.

“What hills, what hills are those my love
That seem so far away?”
“Those are the hills of Heaven, my love,
But not for you or I.”

“What hills, what hills are those my love
That look so dim and grey?”
“Those are the hills of Hell, my love,
Where you and 1 must dwell.”

Sara Grey sings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, well met,” said he,
“Well met, well met,” said she.
“For I have come to these hilly lands
And it’s all for the sake of thee.”

“Well you have married a house carpenter,
And a fine looking gentleman is he;
But if you will leave your house carpenter
And run away with me
I’l take you to the place where the grass grows tall,
By the rivers of sweet Willie.”

She picked up her darling little babe
And kisses gave it three,
Saying, “Stay at home, you darling little babe
For to keep your papa company.”

They had not been on the sea two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
When this young lady was found weepitig
She was weeping most bitterly.

“O, is it for my gold you weep,
Or is it for my store?
Or is it for your house carpenter
That you never will see anymore?”

“O, it’s not for your gold I weep,
Nor is it for your store,
But it is for that darling little babe
That I never will see anymore.

“What is those banks, those banks I see
That look as white as snow?”
”It is the banks of heaven, I know,
Where your darling little baby will go.”

“What is those banks, those banks I see
That look so dark and low?”
”It is the banks of hell, I know,
Where you and I must go.”

They had not been on the sea three weeks,
I’m sure it was not four,
Til from the deck there sprung a leak
And their voices wasn’t heard anymore.

O, cursed be those sea-sailing men,
O, cursed be their lives
For robbing of little house carpenters
And stealing away their wives.

Geordie McIntyre sings The Daemon Lover

“Whaur hae ye been my long lost lover
These seven long years or more?”
“I’ve been seekin’ gowd for ye my love,
An’ riches in great store.

“Now I’ve come for the vow ye promised me,
Ye promised me long ago.”
“Well now my vow ye must forgive
For I’ve become a wedded wife.”

“Och, I might hae mairret a Kings dochter
Far ayont the sea,
But I forsook that crown o’gowd
All for the sake my love of ye.”

“If ye could hae mairret a Kings dochter,
It’s yersel ye hae tae blame.
For noo I’m wedded tae a ship’s carpenter
An to him I hae a son.”

“Come awa wi me lass,
Come awa wi me.
I’ll show ye whaur the lillies grow
On the banks o’ fair Italy.”

“Hae ye ony ship tae put me in
If alang wi’ ye I should gang?”
“I hae seven ships all on the sea,
All loaded tae the brim.

“I hae seven ships all on the sea,
The eighth ane brought me to land,
Wi’ four an’ twenty mariners guid
An’ music at every hand.”

She stepped her fit intae yon ship
Tae hear the music play,
The masts were o’ the bright beaten gowd
An’ the sails o’ silken grey.

They hadna’ sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When cauld an’ watery blew the wind
An’ gurly grew the sea.

They hadna sailed anither league,
A league but barely three,
When she spied his cloven foot
An’ she wept most bitterly.

“O haud yer tongue my love he cried
Why weep ye sae mournfully?
I said I would show ye the wee lillies growin
On the banks o’ fair Italy.

“I said I would show ye the lillies grow
On the banks o’ fair Italy,
But now I’ll show ye the wee fish swimmin’
In the bottom o’ the sea.”

Then he struck yon topmast wi’ his airm,
The foremast wi’ his knee,
An’ he sank yon ship in a flash o’ fire
Tae the bottom o’ the sea.

Cara sing The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Well met, well met,” cried she.
“I’ve just returned from the salt, salt sea
And it’s all for the love of thee.

“I could have married the king’s daughter there
And she would have married me,
But I’ve forsaken my king’s daughter there
And it’s all for the love of thee.”

“If you could have married a king’s daughter there
I’m sure you’re the one to blame.
For I am married to a house carpenter
And I’m sure he’s a fine young man.”

“Forsake,forsake your house carpenter
And come along with me.
I’ll take you where the green grass grows
On the shores of sunny Italy.”

Chorus
Come along, for the memories are strong;
Take me home to the place I belong.

And up she picked her babies three,
Gave them kisses, one two three,
Saying, “Take good care of your Daddy when I’m gone,
Keep him good company.”

They were sailing about two weeks,
I’m sure it was not three,
When the youngest of the girls, she came on deck,
Saying, “What’s company?

“Are you weeping for your house and your home?
Is that where you long to be?”
“No I’m not weeping for my house carpenter
I’m weeping for my babies three.”

(Chorus)

“What are those hills yonder my love?
They look as white as snow.”
“Those are the hills of Heaven, my love,
That you and I’ll never know.”

“What are those hills yonder, my love?
They look as dark as night.”
“Those are the hills of hell-fire, my love,
Where you and I will unite.”

Twice around went the gallant ship,
I’m sure, it was not three,
When the ship all of a sudden it sprung a leak
And drifted to the bottom of the sea.

(Chorus)

Brian Peters sings The Demon Lover

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
I’ve been away these seven years and more.
I’ve come to claim those former vows
You promised me so long before.

“I might have had a king’s daughter,
And fain she would have married me.
But I gave up that crown of gold,
’Twas all for the sake my love of thee.”

“If you might have had a king’s daughter,
You’ve none but yourself to blame.
For I am married to a ship’s carpenter
And to him I have a bonny young son.

“But if I was to leave my husband dear
And my little babe also,
Oh what would you have to keep me with
If along with you I should go?”

“I have three ships all on the sea,
One of them has brought me safe to land.
I’ve four and twenty mariners on board,
You shall have music at your command.

“And the ship, my love, you shall sail in
Is glorious to behold,
The sails are of the finest silk
And the masts are of the beaten gold.

“So it’s you must leave your husband dear
And sail away with me.
I’ll take you where the white lilies grow
All on the banks of Italy.”

And as she went walking up the street,
Most beautiful to behold,
He cast a glamour all o’er her face
And she shone like brightest gold.

When she set her foot on board the ship
No mariners could she behold,
But the sails were of the finest silk
And the masts were of the beaten gold.

Now they hadn’t been a-sailing a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely one,
When she began to weep and mourn
And think upon her bonny young son.

Now they hadn’t been a-sailing a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely two,
Before she spied his cloven foot
From his bright robes sticking through.

Now they hadn’t been a-sailing a mile, a mile,
A mile but barely three,
When dark and eerie grew his face
And raging grew the sea.

“Oh will you see the white lilies grow
All on the banks of Italy?
Or will you see the fishes swim
All on the bottom of the sea?”

And as she turned herself round about,
So tall, and taller then grew he,
Until the tops of that gallant ship
No taller were than he.

And he struck the top-mast with his hand,
The fore-mast with his knee.
He broke that gallant ship all in two
And he’s dashed it to the bottom of the sea.

Andy Irvine sings The Demon Lover

“Well met well met my own true love,
Well met well met,” said he,
“I’ve come to claim my former vows
Long ago you gave me, gave me,
That long ago you gave me.”

“O hold your tongue of your former vows
for they will only cause strife.
Hold your tongue of your former vows,
I’m become a wife, a wife.
For I am become a wife.”

He turned him right and round about,
The tear it blinded his e’e.
“I would never have trodden on Irish ground
If it had not been for thee,
All for the love of thee.

“For I could have married a King’s daughter fair,
I’m sure she’d have married me.
I refused her crowns of gold
All for the love of thee, thee,
It’s all for the love of thee.”

“If you could have married a King’s daughter fair,
I’m sure it’s you are to blame
I am married to a ship’s carpenter,
I think he’s a very fine man,
I think he’s a fine young man.

“If I were to leave my husband dear,
My sweet little baby also,
What would you have to take me to
if with you I should go,
If with you I should go?”

“I have seven ships all on the sea,
The eighth one brought me to lands,
With four and twenty bold mariners
and music on every hand,
With music on every hand.”

She took her baby all in her arms
And kisses gave him three.
Saying, “Stay at home with your father, my dear,
And keep him good company,
And keep him company.”

She took her comb all in her hand
And dressed herself in green.
And every town that she passed through
They took her to be some queen,
They took her to be some queen.

She set her foot upon the ship,
No mariners could she behold.
The sails were of the taffeta,
With masts of the beaten gold,
Masts of the beaten gold.

They had not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
Till dismal grew his countenance
And angry grew the sea,
Angry grew the sea.

They had not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
Till she espied his cloven foot
And she wept right bitterly,
She wept right bitterly.

“O hold your tongue of your weeping,” said he,
“Your weeping now let me be.
And I will show you how lilies grow
on the banks of the deep blue sea,
The banks of the deep blue sea.”

“What are those hills they look so white,
They look as white as snow?”
“Those are the hills of Heaven,” he cried,
“Where your little baby will go,
But you and I will not know.”

“What are those hills they look so black,
They look as black as night”
“Those are the hills of Hell,” he cried,
“Where you and I will unite,
Where you and I will unite.”

And when she turned her round about
Much taller he seemed to be,
Until the tops of that gallant ship
No taller were they than he,
No taller were they than he.

He struck the topmast with his hand,
The foremast with his knee,
He broke that gallant ship in two
And sank her in the sea,
And sank her in the sea.

Jon Boden sings 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
And it’s all for the love of thee.

“Oh I could have married the king’s daughter dear
And she would have married me,
But I have refused the crown of gold
And it’s all for the love of thee.”

“If you could have married the king’s daughter dear
I’m sure you are to blame,
For I am married to the house carpenter
And he is a fine young man.”

“Oh, if you’ll forsake your house carpenter
And come along with me,
I’ll take you to where the grass grows green
On the banks of Italy.”

“If I forsake my house carpenter
And come along with thee,
Oh, what have you got to maintain me upon
And to keep me from slavery?”

“Oh, I’ve six ships sailing on the salt sea,
A-sailing from dry land,
And a hundred and twenty jolly young men
Shall be at your command.”

She picked up her poor wee babe
And kisses she gave him three,
Saying, “Stay right here with the house carpenter
And keep him company.”

Oh, she picked up her poor wee babe
And kisses she gave him three,
Saying, “Stay right here with the house carpenter
And keep him company.”

They had not been two weeks at sea,
I’m sure it was not three,
When this poor maid began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.

“Oh do you weep for your gold,” he said,
“Your houses, your land, or your store?
Or do you weep for your house carpenter
That you never shall see no more?”

“I do not weep for my gold,” she said,
“My houses, my land, or my store.
But I do weep for my poor wee babe
That I shall never see more.”

They had not been three weeks at sea,
I’m sure it was not four,
When in their ship there sprang a leak
And she sank to the ocean floor.

“What hills, what hills are those, my love,
That are so bright and free?”
“Oh, those are the hill of Heaven, my love,
But they’re not for you and me.”

“What hills, what hills, are those, my love,
That are so dark and low?”
“Oh, those are the hills of Hell, my love,
Where you and I must go.”

The Furrow Collective sing The Demon Lover

“Well met, well met, my own true love,
Long time have I been absent from thee.
I’ve lately come from the salt sea
And it’s all for the sake, my love, of thee.”

“I have three ships that are out upon the sea
By one of them has brought me to land.
I’ve four and twenty sailors on board
And you shall have music at your command.”

She says, “Well, I am now wed to a ship’s carpenter,
To a ship carpenter I am bound.
I would not leave my husband dear
For twice the sum of ten hundred pound.”

He said, “Well I could have a king’s daughter,
And fain she would have married me.
But I forsook her crown of gold
And it’s all for the sake, my love, of thee.

“So I pray you leave your husband, dear,
And sail away with me.
I’ll take you where the white lilies grow
All on the banks of Italy.

“And this ship wherein my love shall sail
It is most glorious to behold.
The sails shall be of shining silk
And the mast shall be of red beaten gold.”

So she dressed herself in her gay clothing,
She was most glorious to behold,
And as she trod the salt water’s side
She shone like glittering gold.

They hadn’t sailed a day and a day
And a day but barely three,
She cast herself upon the deck
And wept and wailed most bitterly.

“O hold your tongue, my dearest dear,
Let all your sorrows be.
I’ll take you where the white lilies grow
All on the bottom of the sea.”

And as she turned herself roundabout,
So tall and tall he seemed to be,
Until the top of that gallant ship
No taller was than he.

And he broke the topmast with his hand,
He broke the main mast with his knee,
He smashed that shining ship in two
And he dashed it in the bottom of the sea.

Jim and Susie Malcolm sing The Daemon Lover

“Whaur hae ye been my long, lost lover
These seven long years or more?”
“I’ve been seeking gowd for ye my love
And riches in great store.

“Now I’ve come for the vow ye promised me
Ye promised me long ago.”
“Well now my vow you must forgive
For I’ve become a wedded wife.”

“Och I could have married a king’s dochter
Far ayont the sea
But I forsook that crown o gold
All for the sake, my love, of ye.”

“If ye could hae marriet a king’s dochter
It’s yersel’ ye hae tae blame
For noo I’m wedded tae a ship’s carpenter
And tae him I hae a son.”

“Cam awa wi me lass,
Cam awa wi me
And I’ll show ye whaur the lillies grow
on the banks of fair Italy.”

“Flae ye any ship tae pit me in
If along w i ye I should gang?”
“I hae seven ships all on the sea
All loaded tae the brim.

“I hae seven ships all on the sea
The eighth yin brought me to land
Wi four and twenty mariners guid
And music at every hand.”

Well she stepped her fit in tae yon ship
Tae hear the music play
And the masts were o the bright beaten gowd
And the sails o’ silken grey.

And they hadna sailed a league, a league
A league but barely three
When cauld and watery blew the wind
And gurly grew the sea.

And they hadna sailed another league
A league but barely three
when she spied his cloven foot
And she wept most bitterly.

“Oh haud yer tongue, my love,” he cried,
“Why weep ye sae mournfully?
I said I would show you the wee lilies grow
On the banks of fair Italy.

“I said I would show ye the lilies grow
On the banks of fair Italy
But now I’ll show ye the wee fishes swimmin’
At the bottom o’ the sea.”

Then he struck the top mast wi his airm
And the foremast wi his knee
And he sank yon ship in a flash o fire
Tae the bottom o the sea.

Adrienne O’Shea sings The House Carpenter

“Well met, well met my own true love,
Well met, well met,” cried he.
“I am just returned from the salt, salt sea,
And it’s all for the sake of thee,
And it’s all for the sake of thee.

“I could have married a king’s daughter fair,
I’m sure she’d have married me.
But I refused her rich crown of gold,
And it’s all for the sake of thee,
Yes it’s all for the sake of thee.”

“Well, if you could have married a king’s daughter fair,
I’m sure you are to blame.
For I am married to a house carpenter,
And I think he’s a fine young man,
And I think he’s a fine young man.”

“I have six ships upon the sea,
The seventh one nigh to land.
And if you’d come and go with me,
they would all be at your command,
They would all be at your command.

“Riches fine will keep thee all,
To your man and babe a store.
If you become my queen of the seas,
They’ll never want for more,
They’ll never want for more”

He dressed her in such rich attire
to exceed all the others in the town.
And as she walked the streets around,
she shone like some glittering crown,
She shone like some glittering crown.

Then she’d taken her baby all in her arms
And given it kisses three,
Saying, “Stay at home my pretty little babe,
And keep your daddy company,
Oh and keep your daddy company.”

She had not been on board but just two hours,
the ship was nigh to leave,
Until this lady she began to weep,
And she wept most bitterly,
And she wept most bitterly.

“Well are you weeping for your house or your land?
Or are you weeping for your store?
Or are you weeping for your house carpenter
That you never shall see anymore?
That you never shall see anymore?”

“No, I’m not weeping for my house or my land,
Nor am I weeping for my store.
But I am weeping for my pretty little babe,
That I never shall see anymore,
That I never shall see anymore.”

Her slippers bejeweled slipped down to the deck,
Her white feet stepped up to the prow.
And with a splash she swam to shore,
Her fine gown oh it sunk down,
Her fine gown oh it sunk down.

“Farewell, farewell to all rich men,
Farewell to a queenly life.
You cannot take me from my pretty little babe,
For you see she is my life,
For you see, she is my life.”