Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Lyrics submitted by kevin, edited by marrerosmi, orchy
Scarborough Fair/Canticle Lyrics as written by Paul Simon Arthur Garfunkel
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I TOLD YOU, Mr. SmartyPants, that it was about unrequited love!!! From Wiki: "Much thought has gone into attempts to explain the refrain "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme", although, as this is found only in relatively recent versions, there may not be much to explain. One common theory is that they are the ingredients for stuffing used in many baked poultry dishes.[3] Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme together (in the Wiccan practice) signify the main ingredients for a love spell."..."Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme have - like many other herbs - a symbolic meaning that goes back centuries: Parsley has been used as a digestant, which should take the bitterness out of certain comestibles. Some medieval physicians used this herb in a spiritual manner.Sage is renowned as a symbol of power. Rosemary represents fidelity, love and remembrance and is therefore often used in traditional wedding customs. Thyme symbolizes courage and thus found its way into heraldry. Both man and woman in this ballad invoke said powers in naming these herbs: mildness to soothe the bitterness of their relationship, spiritual strength to endure being apart from each other, faithfulness and lastly encouragement, to fulfill the impossible tasks given."
Nice find.
Yup. Really difficult to type in the song's name and Wiki:) What I didn't know is that there are other renditions...songs quite similiar where the name of the fair is different. I just love how history and English tradition found its way into song.
Yeah...songs are amazing. They dont keep ya warm at night though. Just sayin'.
Folk songs from decades ago and the old Negro spirituals fascinate me. There is so much that can be learned about traditions, etc, from them as opposed to much of the music of today.