I couldn't find the House Carpenter meaning thread, I swear there is one, but I was doing some searching and found this british ballad called The Daemon Lover. I looked it up on wikipedia, and I saw that on of the covers was from Hurt. I guess House Carpenter is based on this, which I never knew.

Interesting find. What do you think of it?

Turns out it even shares very similar lyrics with it. This really peeks my interest in this song now, because The Demon Lover's lyrics add a whole new meaning to J's version of it.
Old version:
"O where have you been, long, long, love,
This long seven years and mair?
O I'm come to seek my former vows-
Ye granted me before. "

"O hold your tongue of your former vows
For they will breed sad strife;
O hold your tongue of your former vows,
For I am become a wife."

He turned him right and round about
And the tear blinded his e'e.
"I wad ne'er hae trodden on Irish ground
Had it not been for love of thee."

"I might have had a king's daughter
Far, far beyond the sea;
I might have had a king's daughter
Had it not been for love of thee."

"If ye might have had a king's daughter,
Yer self ye had to blame;
Ye might have taken the king's daughter,
Fer ye kend that I was nane."

"O false are the vows o' womankind,
But fair is their false bodie;
I ne'er wad hae trodden on Irish ground
Had it not been for love o' thee. "

"If I was to leave my husband dear,
And my two babes also,
O what have you to take me to,
If with you I should go? "

"I have seven ships upon the sea,
The eighth brought me to land;
With four-and-twenty bold mariners
And music on every hand."

She has taken up her two little babes,
Kissed them baith cheek and chin:
"O fare ye well, my ain two babes,
For I'll ne'er see you again."

She set her foot upon the ship,
No mariners could she behold;
But the sails were of the taffetie,
And the masts of the beaten gold.

She had not sailed a league, a league,
A league but barely three,
When dismal grew his countenance
And drumlie grew his e'e.

The masts that were like the beaten gold
Bent not on the heaving seas;
And the sails that were o'the taffetie
Filled not in the eastland breeze.

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

"O hold your tongue of your weeping," says he
"Of you weeping now let me be;
I will show you how the lilies grow
On the banks of Italy."

"O what hills are yon, yon pleasant hills,
That the sun shines sweetly on?"
"O yon are the hills of heaven," he said,
"There you will never win."

"O whaten a mountain is yon," she said,
"All so dreary wi' frost and snow?"
"O yon is the mountain of hell," he cried,
"Where you and I will go."

And aye when she turned her round about,
Aye, taller he seemed to be;
Until that the tops of the gallant ship
Nae taller were than he.

The clouds grew dark and the wind grew loud,
And levin filled her e'e;
And waesome wailed the snow-white sprites
Upon the girlie sea.

He strack the tapmast wi' his hand
The foremast wi' his knee
And he brake the gallant ship in twain
And sank her in the sea.

Current version:
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

O 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 sake 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

If you'll forsake your house carpenter
And come away with me
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
On the banks of the sweet Willie

If I forsake my house carpenter
And come away with thee
What have you got to maintain me upon
And keep me from slavery


I've six ships sailing on the salt, salt sea
A-sailing from dry land
And a hundred and twenty jolly young men
Shall be at thy command

She picked up her poor wee babe
And kisses gave him three
Saying stay right here with the house carpenter
And keep him good company


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


O 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 anymore

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 never shall see anymore

They had not been at sea three weeks
I'm sure it was not four
When in their ship there sprang a leak
And she sank to rise no more


What hills, what hills are those, my love
That are so bright and free
Those are the hill of Heaven, my love
But not for you and me

What hills, what hills, are those, my love
That are so dark and low
Those are the hills of Hell, my love
Where you and I must go

Here's one: http://hurt.forumsunlimited.com/index.php?...House+Carpenter

Here's another: http://hurt.forumsunlimited.com/index.php?...House+Carpenter

Good find, I listened to the Bob Dylan "House Carpenter" and it was pretty good.

I'm sure this has been posted before, but: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_X_Ru8Uk9k

Clearly the tune and the lyrics were inspired by some variation of this.

And also by moonlight sonata, according to J.

yah, i think that vid is linked in one of those threads foof linked to. pretty awesome version

Yeah, I came across those lyrics several months ago and it made me think that Alone With the Sea might be also either be connected with House Carpenter or inspired by the same thing.

covers by:
* Augie March - re-written as 'Men Who Follow Spring The Planet 'Round'
* Bob Dylan
* Boiled in Lead
* Buffy Sainte-Marie
* Clarence Ashley
* Custer Larue
* Daithi Sproule
* Damien Jurado
* Dave Van Ronk
* David Grisman
* Dervish (as "Sweet Viledee")
* Doc Watson
* Ewan MacColl
* Faun Fables
* Handsome Family
* Hurt
* Jean Ritchie
* Jeff Lang
* Joan Baez
* Kelly Joe Phelps
* Kim Larsen
* Lisa Moscatiello
* Martin Simpson
* Mr Fox
* Natalie Merchant
* Nic Jones
* Nickel Creek
* Oakley Hall
* Pentangle
* Pete Seeger
* Steeleye Span
* Superwolf
* Sweeney's Men
* The Baltimore Consort
* The Carolina Tar Heels
* The Ex
* The Mammals
* Tim O'Brien
* Tony Rice
* Ariella Uliano

this is true, I remember in a discussion, someone brought this up, because J introduced the song as "from the old gaelic song", besides after reading the song, and the poem, there are a lot of similar things , I like thinking is based on that poem

I've thought that before also.

It does sound like a folk song, doesn't it? Lyrically, especially, but also just the melody and the banjo.