intro: (fast travis picking during the whole song)
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.
Come in, come in my own true love,
and have a seat with me,
for it s been three quarters of a long, long year
since together we have been.
I can t come in and I can t sit down
I haven t but a moment s time.
But I hear you re married to the house carpenter
so your love will never be mine.
And I could ve married with the king s daughter there,
so free she was with me.
But I forsook all the crowns and gold
and it s all for the love of thee.
If you would have married with the king s daughter there,
I m sure you are to blame.
And it s now I ve married to the house carpenter
and I m sure he s a fine young man.
Well will you forsake your house carpenter
and come away with me?
I ll take you down to where the grass grows green,
down by the sweet dundee.
(So she picked up her tine wee babe
and kisses gave it three,
saying stay right here my sweet, sweet dear
and keep your father company.
Well they hadn t been on ship but about 2 weeks,
I m sure it was not 3,
...
when she espied his cloven foot
and began to weep most bitterly.)
Are you weeping for your house and land,
or are you weeping for your store,
or are you weeping for the house carpenter
whose face you ll never see no more?
No I m not weeping for my house and land,
I m not weeping for my store,
it s now I m weeping for my soul, so dear,
whose purity I ll never see no more.
(Well they hadn t been on ship for about 3 weeks,
I m sure it was not 4,
when he stomped his foot and down she sank,
and sank to arise no more.)
Well met, well met my own true love love,
well met, well met cried he.
I ve just returned to the salt salt sea
and it s all for the love of thee.