If I Were A Carpenter - Live Remix

This was written by the folk singer Tim Hardin, who performed it at Woodstock in 1969. Hardin wrote "Reason To Believe" and some other songs that became popular for other artists. He dealt with drug problems and died in 1980 at age 39.

The lyrics are written from the perspective of a man asking an elegant woman if she would still love and marry him if he was just a carpenter. There may be some biblical meaning, as Jesus was a carpenter.

It had been three years since Bobby Darin had a hit record. The Beatles had arrived, and if it wasn't English, it didn't sell. Darin was still a very marketable talent; if he recorded a song, it was going to get a fair shot. Two music publishers, Charles Koppleman and Don Rubin, walked into his office one day and played him a song they felt was perfect for him: "Do You Believe in Magic?" After hearing it through one time Bobby was convinced it wasn't hit record material and told them so: "Very cute, but it will never be a hit." That song was eventually pitched to The Lovin' Spoonful and became a hit. Several months went by and these same guys came back by Bobby's office and played him another song they thought was perfect for him: "Summer in the City." Again, Bobby didn't like the song and turned it down. That one also went to The Lovin' Spoonful and sold over two and a half million records. More time went by and the two men called on Bobby a third time. Before they sat down he said, "I don't care what you got! I'm gonna record it," and he did. They pitched him "If I Were A Carpenter" and It became Darin's last big hit. Darin died in 1973 at age 37.