“The Daemon Lover (The House Carpenter)”

Description

A girl who once loved a sailor is greeted by her lost lover (, now rich and powerful). He bids her come with him; she points out that she is married and has a child. He convinces her to come with him. Their ship sinks not far from land

Notes

Although Child calls this "The Daemon Lover," a survey of the 163 versions printed or cited in Bronson shows that 99 are named "The House Carpenter" or minor variants, and several others were probably retitled by the editors. This probably ought to be the family name -- but I adopted the one I did as a partial link to Child. - RBW

Broadside LOCSinging sb40538b: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS

Broadsides

  • Bodleian, Harding B 18(255), "House Carpenter," J.H. Johnson (Philadelphia), n.d.
  • LOCSinging, sb40538b, "The House Carpenter," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878; also as105530, "The House Carpenter"

Recordings

  • Clarence Ashley, "The House Carpenter" (Columbia 15654-D, 1931; rec. 1930; on AAFM1, BefBlues3) {Bronson's #70}
  • Clarence Ashley & Tex Isley, "The House Carpenter" (on Ashley01)
  • Pearl Jacobs Borusky, "Well Met, My Old True Love" (AFS, 1940; on LC58) {Bronson's #103}
  • Sheila Clark, "House Carpenter" (on LegendTomDula)
  • Carolina Tar Heels, "Can't You Remember When Your Heart Was Mine?" (Victor V-40219, 1930)
  • Dillard Chandler, "Little Farmer Boy" (on Chandler01)
  • Rebecca King Jones, "The House Carpenter" [excerpt] (on USWarnerColl01)
  • Bradley Kincaid, "The House Carpenter" (Bluebird 5255/Sunrise 3338, 1933)
  • A. L. Lloyd, "The Demon Lover" (on Lloyd3, ESFB1, ESFB2)
  • Almeda Riddle, "The House Carpenter" (on LomaxCD1706) {Bronson's #71}
  • Jean Ritchie, "The House Carpenter" (on JRitchie01)
  • Jean Ritchie & Doc Watson, "The House Carpenter" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchiteWatsonCD1)
  • Hobart Smith & Texas Gladden, "The House Carpenter" (Disc 6079, 1940s) {Bronson's #47}
  • Lillie Steele, "The House Carpenter" (on PSteele01) {Bronson's #24}
  • Doug Wallin, "The House Carpenter" (on Wallins1)
  • Clay Walters, "The Ship Carpenter" (AFS, 1937; on LC58) {Bronson's #13 or #78}
  • Annie Watson & Gaither Carlton, "The House Carpenter" (on Watson01)

References

  1. Child 243, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (8 texts)
  2. Bronson 243, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (146 versions+1 in addenda)
  3. BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 310-313, "The House Carpenter" (1 text plus a fragment and a broadside version, 1 tune) {Bronson's #53}
  4. Belden, pp. 79-87, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (4 texts plus mention of 5 others, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #106, #124}
  5. Randolph 30, "The House Carpenter" (4 texts plus 7 excerpts and 5 fragments, 8 tunes) {A=Bronson's #117, B=#114, E=#99, I=#122, J=#90, M=#5, N=#101, P=#97}
  6. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 54-56, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 30J) {Bronson's #90}
  7. Eddy 23, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (4 texts plus an excerpt, 4 tunes) {Bronson #121,#125,#55,#95}
  8. Gardner/Chickering 10, "The House Carpenter" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #131, #66, #128}
  9. Dean, pp. 55-56, "The Faithless Wife" (1 text)
  10. Flanders/Olney, pp. 243-244, "The Young Turtle Dove" (1 text, with an introductory "Turtle Dove" verse)
  11. Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 287-321, "James Harris, or the Daemon Lover" (13 texts plus 3 fragments, some mixed with other songs (e.g. "G" has the "Turtle Dove" verse; "N" is very confused, with references to the Banks of Claudy), 11 tunes) {A=Bronson's #93, N=#141}
  12. Davis-Ballads 40, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (27 texts plus two versions in the appendix which are "Fare You Well, My Own True Love (The Storms Are on the Ocean, The False True Lover, The True Lover's Farewell, Red Rosy Bush, Turtle Dove)" with added "House Carpenter" verses; 7 tunes all entitled "The House Carpenter"; 23 more versions mentioned in Appendix A) {Bronson's #139,#42,#86,#62,#137,#52,#89}
  13. Davis-More 36, pp. 270-289, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (9 texts plus an excerpt, 10 tunes)
  14. BrownII 40, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (5 text plus 7 excerpts and mention of 2 more)
  15. Chappell-FSRA 18, "The Demon Lover" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #94}
  16. Hudson 21, pp. 119-122, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (2 texts)
  17. MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 59-61, "The House Carpenter" (1 text)
  18. Shellans, pp. 30-31, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  19. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 150-159, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (6 texts, all of which are entitled "The House Carpenter"; 3 tunes on pp. 400-401) {Bronson's #64, #58, #25}
  20. Brewster 21, "James Harris" (9 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #93, #127}
  21. Peacock, pp. 740-741, "The Young Ship's Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  22. Creighton-SNewBrunswick 5, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  23. Leach, pp. 598-606, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (4 texts)
  24. McNeil-SFB2, pp. 122-131, "The House Carpenter's Wife"; "The House Carpenter"; "J'ai Marie un Ouvrier" (4 texts (1 Cajun French), 4 tunes)
  25. OBB 28, "The Daemon Lover" (1 text)
  26. Friedman, p. 13, "James Harris (The Demon Lover; The House Carpenter)" (2 texts, 1 tune)
  27. Wyman-Brockway II, p. 54, "The Daemon Lover" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #91}
  28. Ritchie-Southern, pp. 84-85, "The Little Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune) {compare Bronson's #44, from a recording, showing a slightly different tune but almost the same text except that it is a "House Carpenter" rather than a "Little Carpenter"}
  29. FSCatskills 74, "The Ship's Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  30. Warner 45, "The Ship Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  31. PBB 65, "James Harris (The Demon Lover)" (1 text)
  32. Niles 55, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover" (1 text, 1 tune)
  33. SharpAp 35, "The Daemon Lover" (10 texts plus 12 fragments, 22 tunes){Bronson's #2, #10, #54, #77, #113, #135, #23, #7, #29, #14, #109a, #50, #9, #65, #6, #36, #21, #48, #80, #74, #81, #136}
  34. Sharp/Karpeles-80E 25, "The House Carpenter (The Daemon Lover)" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #9}
  35. Sandburg, pp. 66-67, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #118}
  36. Lomax-FSNA 88, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  37. Hodgart, p. 75, "James Harris (The Demon Lover)" (1 text)
  38. JHCox 25, "James Harris (The Daemon Lover)" (5 texts plus mention of 16 others, 1 tune) {Bronson's #120}
  39. JHCoxIIA, #12A-D, pp. 48-56, "The House Carpenter," "The House Carpenter's Wife" (4 texts, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #32, #83, #130}
  40. Fowke/MacMillan 81, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  41. TBB 34, "The Daemon Lover" (1 text)
  42. Gilbert, pp. 35-36, "The House Carpenter and the Ship Carpenter" (1 text)
  43. Abrahams/Foss, pp. 25-27, "The House Carpenter" (1 text, 1 tune)
  44. LPound-ABS, 17, pp. 43-45, "The House Carpenter" (1 text)
  45. Darling-NAS, pp. 34-36, "The House Carpenter" (1 text)
  46. Silber-FSWB, p. 218, "The House Carpenter's Wife" (1 text)
  47. BBI, ZN2466, "There dwelt a fair Maid in the West"
  48. DT 243, HOUSCARP* HOUSCRP2* HOUSCRP3*
  49. ADDITIONAL: Fred W. Allsopp, Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II (1931), p. 208, "The House Carpenter" (1 text)
  50. Roud #14
  51. BI, C243

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1737
Found in: Britain(Scotland(Aber),England(South)) US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,NW,SE,So,SW) Canada(Mar,Newf)