Scarborough Fair (ballad)

Scarborough Fair is a traditional English folk song, whose author is unknown. The best-known version is by Simon and Garfunkel. Often the song is sung as a duet with a female and a male voice.

Origin

The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when the English town of Scarborough was an important meeting place for merchants from all over England. On August 15 of each year there began a 45-day large trade fair, called Scarborough Fair, which was quite long for those days.

When this trade in the 19th century abandoned the name Scarborough Fair was a music festival, which now takes place every year in September in the same city given.

The song was probably written in the 16th or 17th century. It is possible that it originated from the Scottish folk ballad The Elfin Knight. It was after it was handed down from city to city, changed several times. So it is that today there are dozens of verses. However, usually only a few of which are sung.

Text

The song is about an old couple that now mutually insoluble problems turns out to be again a couple. The last verse indicates that it is not so important to fulfill the tasks. What matters is the attempt to tackle the tasks - as a prerequisite for this may be considered again.

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

Are you going to the market of Scarborough? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Greetings someone who lives there, from me, Because it was once my love.

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

Ask them to make me a batiste, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Without any seam or seams, And then she'll be my sweetheart.

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

Ask her to wash it in the dry wells, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, He has never led in the water and it never rained, And then she'll be my sweetheart.

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

Ask her to dry it on the brambles, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, This has never flowered, born since Adam, And then she'll be my sweetheart.

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

Ask them to do me this favor, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, And they ask if I can do something similar for them, And then she'll be my sweetheart.

Both:

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

Did you go to the market of Scarborough? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Greetings me of someone who lives there Because he was once my love.

Woman:

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

Please find him for me an acre of land, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Between the salt water and the sandy beach, Because then he will be my love.

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

Please, it is to plow him with a sheep horn, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, And sow a peppercorn over the entire surface, Because then he will be my love.

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

Please, it reap it with a sickle of leather, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, And to concentrate the harvest with a string of heather, Because then he will be my love.

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

When he's done with all the work, Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Then he should come and get his batiste, Because then he will be my love.

Both:

If you say did you can not, then I shall reply, Parsley, say, rosemary and thyme, Oh, let me knowthat at least, you want to try, Or you'll never be a true love of mine.

If you say that you can not, then I reply: Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, Tell me that you'll at least try it, Or you'll never be my favorite.

Notes

The refrain " Parsley, say, rosemary and thyme " results for a listener of today does not make sense at first, but has a symbolic meaning:

  • Parsley was formerly eaten as a digestive aid, and should at the same time remove the bitterness in food. Medieval doctors used this plant also to a spiritual purpose.
  • Sage was long recognized as a symbol of power.
  • Rosemary represents faithfulness, love and remembrance dar. Today there are in England for many women still have the custom of wearing sprigs of rosemary in your hair.
  • Thyme symbolizes courage in the first place. At the time when the song was written, knights often wore shields with a painted thyme plant when they went into battle.

The lyric in the song I wanted with the entry of these four plants clemency to alleviate the bitterness in the relationship, spiritual strength, when they are separated from each other, faithfulness to stay with her, when he is alone; and encouragement so that they can do the "impossible things" and come back as soon as possible.

Melody and versions

The song is in the church mode ( mode) Doric, which is quite typical of the English songs of the late Renaissance ( cf. Greensleeves ), for the ears of the 20th century, however, had an archaic character, which zugutekam the rediscovery and use.

A first recording of the song was created by the use of the melody in the film Man Hunt by Fritz Lang ( 1941). 1955 Gordon Heath and Lee Payant published a recording on their album Encores From The Abbaye, which was based on a printed Notenausausgabe of the English songs collector and music scholar Frank Kidson (1891 ).

The now familiar tune version of Scarborough Fair was coined by Simon and Garfunkel; their recording appeared in 1966 on the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Paul Simon learned the song in 1965 by Martin Carthy in London and added the counterpoint of " Canticle ", a remake of the song The Side of a Hill added. In 1968 the song was released as a soundtrack to the film The Graduate as a single. The copyright lies exclusively with Paul Simon, what Martin Carthy was a thorn in the side, as he calls the " traditional source " actually was. A reconciliation between the two, it was only in 2000 when Paul Simon sang the song together with Carthy at a concert in London.

There are many other versions of the song, mostly limited to a selection of the above verses; mentioned are:

Scarborough, North Yorkshire Salvia Man Hunt (1941 film) Gregorian (band) The Ultimate Aural Orgasm Ataraxia (Band)
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