If I Were a Carpenter (song)

"If I Were a Carpenter" is a song written by Tim Hardin. Hardin's recording appeared on his 1967 album Tim Hardin 2. It was a Top Ten hit for Bobby Darin in 1966, reaching number 8 in the US (Darin returned the favour three years later, when he wrote "Simple Song of Freedom" for Hardin, which went top ten in the US that year).

"If I Were a Carpenter" has been covered by many artists, including:

A - F

• Sandro de América
• The Animals
• American Blues on American Blues 'Is Here' (1967)
• Azra on It Ain't Like the Movies At All (1986) ("If I were a barbarian")
• Joan Baez (re-gendered as "If You Were a Carpenter" on 1967 album Joan)
• Harry Belafonte
• Luka Bloom
• Wes Carr
• Johnny Cash and June Carter (a country-rock crossover in 1970).
• Chicken Shack
• Wayne Cochran
• David Allan Coe
• Bobby Darin
• Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich on Golden Hits (1967)
• Neil Diamond
• Dik Dik (Italian version "Se io fossi un falegname")
• Val Doonican
• Dropkick Murphys
• Ramblin Jack Elliot
• Engineers
• Marie Fredriksson (Swedish version "Om jag vore arbetslös")
• Flatt & Scruggs on Nashville Airplane (1968)
• Dan Fogelberg
• Four Tops (1967)
• The Free Design

G - O

• Johnny Hallyday (French version "Si j'étais un charpentier")
• Emmylou Harris and Johnny Hallyday
• Heartless Bastards
• Eldridge Holmes
• John Holt
• Burl Ives on The Times They Are a-Changin'
• Bert Jansch
• Southside Johnny & Little Steven
• Waylon Jennings on Singer of Sad Songs
• Elton John
• Kal P. Dal (Swedish version "Om ja’ va’ en slashas")
• Andy Kim
• Ed Kuepper
• Raymond Lefevre
• Jody Miller (re-gendered as "If You Were a Carpenter")
• Matt Monro
• Lee Morgan (jazz version)
• Willie Nelson and Sheryl Crow
• Leonard Nimoy

P - Z

• Dolly Parton
• Robert Plant
• Ronnie Von (Portuguese version "O Carpinteiro")
• The Pozo Seco Singers
• Quickspace, as part of their Peel Session for the John Peel radio show on BBC Radio 1, 11 October 1998 (later voted #39 in 1998's Festive 50 countdown of listeners' favourite songs for that year)
• Johnny Rivers
• Leon Russell (1974)
• Bob Seger
• Small Faces
• Smile
• Kevin Spacey
• Petr Spálený (Czech version "Kdybych já byl kovářem")
• Dave Suich of The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
• John Swan, aka Swanee
• Pete Townshend on Wild Action (solo live at London Roundhouse April 14, 1974)
• Roch Voisine on Americana II (2009)
• Cornelis Vreeswijk (Swedish version "Om jag vore arbetslös")
• Leslie West on The Great Fatsby
• Yo La Tengo live on WFMU

Preceded by "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Waylon Jennings

RPM Country Tracks number-one single (Johnny Cash and June Carter version) March 7, 1970

Succeeded by "Honey Come Back" by Glen Campbell