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The Demon Lover

[Child #243; trad.]

A.L. Lloyd sang The Demon Lover on the 1964 album by him and Ewan MacColl, 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 commented in the album notes:

In the 17th 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 Upway, near Dorchester, Dorset, in 1907. 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.

Steeleye Span recorded Demon Lover in 1975 with quite different but related verses for their seventh album, Commoners Crown.

And Cara recorded this song as The House Carpenter for their 2007 album In Between Times and on their 2008 DVD In Full Swing - Live. They comment in their sleeve notes:

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 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 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 found this version on an album by Mick McAuley.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings The Demon Lover	Steeleye Span's 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.	“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 top mast high To see what he could see. He sunk the ship in a flash of fire To the bottom of the sea. Chorus

A.L. Lloyd sings The Demon Lover

Steeleye Span's 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.

“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 top mast high
To see what he could see.
He sunk the ship in a flash of fire
To the bottom of the sea.

Chorus