traditional
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 sake of thee
I could have married a King's daughter there
So freely she was with me
But I have forsaken a crown of gold
It's all for the sake of thee
If you could have married a King's daughter there
I'm sure you are to blame
For I've recently wedded a house carpenter
And I think he's a fine young man
Will you forsake your house carpenter
And come and go along with me
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
On the banks of sweet Italy
Well she picked up her dear little babe
Kisses she gave him three
Saying "stay at home my dearest babe
And keep your daddy company."
They had not been sailin' but about two days
I'm sure it was not three
When this fair lady began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.
"Why are you weepin' my dearest dear?
Are you weepin' for my golden store?"
Or are you weeping for your house carpenter
Whose face you'll never see anymore?
"I am not weepin' for my house carpenter
Nor for any store.
But I am weepin' for my own dear babe
Whose face I'll never see anymore."
What hills, what hillls are those, my dear
What hills so fair and high
Those are the hills of heaven, my dear
But not for you or I.
What hills, what hills are those, my love
What hills so dark and low.
Those are the hills of hell my dear
Where you and I must go.
They had not been sailin' but about three days
I'm sure that it was not four
When the ship sprang a leak in the bottom of the deck
And she sank for to ride no more.
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 sake of thee
I could have married a King's daughter there
So freely she was with me
But I have forsaken a crown of gold
It's all for the sake of thee
If you could have married a King's daughter there
I'm sure you are to blame
For I've recently wedded a house carpenter
And I think he's a fine young man
Will you forsake your house carpenter
And come and go along with me
I'll take you to where the grass grows green
On the banks of sweet Italy
Well she picked up her dear little babe
Kisses she gave him three
Saying "stay at home my dearest babe
And keep your daddy company."
They had not been sailin' but about two days
I'm sure it was not three
When this fair lady began to weep
And she wept most bitterly.
"Why are you weepin' my dearest dear?
Are you weepin' for my golden store?"
Or are you weeping for your house carpenter
Whose face you'll never see anymore?
"I am not weepin' for my house carpenter
Nor for any store.
But I am weepin' for my own dear babe
Whose face I'll never see anymore."
What hills, what hillls are those, my dear
What hills so fair and high
Those are the hills of heaven, my dear
But not for you or I.
What hills, what hills are those, my love
What hills so dark and low.
Those are the hills of hell my dear
Where you and I must go.
They had not been sailin' but about three days
I'm sure that it was not four
When the ship sprang a leak in the bottom of the deck
And she sank for to ride no more.