#00782   Print This PagePrint This Page

Scarborough Fair (Martin Carthy) w/lyrics, MIDI files, video
See also: The Cambric Shirt (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, And Thyme)
And also: The Cambric Shirt - Var A (Collected by Kenneth Peacock)
And also: The Cambric Shirt - Var B (Collected by Kenneth Peacock)

       #826: YouTube video by threelegsoman ©2009
                  ~ Used with permission ~

midi filealt : midi file

midi file alt : midi file

Both:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
For she once was a true love of mine.

Man:

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without no seam nor fine needlework,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Ask her to do me this courtesy,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And ask for a like favour from me,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Both:

Have you been to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me from one who lives there,
For he once was a true love of mine.

Woman:

Ask him to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea-sand,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to plough it with a sheep's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And gather it up with a rope made of heather,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

When he has done and finished his work,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Ask him to come for his cambric shirt,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Both:

If you say that you can't, then I shall reply,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Oh, let me know that at least you will try,
Or you'll never be a true love of mine.

####.... Author unknown. Variant of a 17th century British broadside ballad, The Elfin Knight [Child ballad #2G] The English And Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898) edited by Francis James Child (Dover, 1965) ....####
This variant is the original arrangement by Martin Carthy [b.1941], English folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist (Martin Carthy with Dave Swarbrick, 1965), upon which Simon and Garfunkle's popular variant was based.

The YouTube video above features an excellent guitar performance of a variant by Tony Archibald from Port St. Mary on the Isle of Man.


See more Child Ballad variants from Newfoundland and Labrador.

From Wikipedia: Cambric - lightweight cotton cloth used as fabric for lace and needlework. Cambric, also known as batiste in a large part of the world, was invented by Jean-Baptiste Cambrai, France, which gave the fabric its name, as early as 1595; It is a closely woven, firm fabric with a slight glossy surface produced by calendering. Modern cambric is made from Egyptian or American cotton and sometimes flax, but also polymer fibres can be added. Cambric is also used as a coating for professional playing cards, to protect them longer and make them easier to handle.





line
Index Page
GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador



line

~ Copyright Info ~
~ Privacy Policy ~

Confirm Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional Here