Scarborough Fair. . . Paul Simon

(From a Celtic Folk Song- see many notes below...)

Simon version:

                    
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 ...Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
Without any seems nor needle work ...Then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane ...Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all with a basket full of flowers ... And then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to find me an acre of land ...Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea strands ...Then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to reap it with a sickle made of leather ...Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
And Bind it all in a bunch of heather ... 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 


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Chaz Version Jan '23 »

Lyrics with Canticle included ( . . . the timing * mark shows when the canticle line is inserted)

1) 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

2) 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 brown)
Without any 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)

3) Tell her to weave it in a syca*more wood lane
( . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *On the side of a hill In a land called somewhere)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and * thyme
(. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * A little boy lies asleep in the earth)
And gather it all with a basket full of *flowers
( . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Down in the valley a cruel war is raging)
And then she'll be a true love of *mine
( . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * People forget what a childs life is worth)

4) Tell her to find* me an acre of land
( . . . . . . . . . . . . . *On the side of a hill is 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
( . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * That ended a life at the age of seven years)

5) 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
(. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . * To fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten)
Then she'll be a true love of *mine
(. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *A cloud nearby weeps on the side of the hill)

6) 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

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Scarborough / Canticle w/ Andy Williams


Album Version

Guitar Notes: Capo on frets 3 to 6
Chords for Am part: Am7 raised 2 frets
& Am+9 at regular position
fingerpick strings in this order:
513423 - with thumb on 5&4 - index on 3
middle on 2 - and ring on 1

* Modified Song Lyrics with Paul Simon's arrangement of Canticle:
and also my adaptation of Additional Lyrics from that work
especially Verse 3 was left out
Canticle was Adapted by Paul Simon from his "The Side Of A Hill" see below»]

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Paul Simon's lyrics: "The Side Of A Hill"
were used in "Canticle"

On the side of a hill
In a land called somewhere
A little boy lies asleep in the earth
While down in the valley a cruel war rages
And people forget what a childs life is worth

On the side of a hill a little cloud weeps
And waters the grave with its silent tears
While a soldier cleans and polishes a gun
That ended a life at the age of seven years

And the war rages on in a land called somewhere
And Generals order their men to kill
And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten
While a little cloud weeps on the side of a hill

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Various Song Notes:

From Wikipedia:
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme may also refer to the pagan belief that together these four herbs can be a love charm. One version of the ballad has a fair young knight, Remmie, who has been given a potion of the four herbs by a lady named Scarlett; parsley for lust, sage for wisdom, rosemary for remembrance and thyme to make her irresistible to him. In this version the couple are trying to meet at Scarborough Fair, but adverse circumstances continue to get in their way. But their perseverance, determination and deep love win out in the end and they do find each other.

The song is also believed to reference the black plague. With parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme being four herbs used to ward off the smell of the dead or dying. It was popular belief in Medieval times that the smell of the plague was responsible for infecting somebody and that herbs could be used to cleanse air. Additionally, in one of the lines the singer asks for "a cambric shirt... without a seam" or a death cloth to cover the singer once he/she dies. Sage, rosemary, and thyme are also common ingredients used in Four Thieves Vinegar, said to protect a group of thieves from the plague.

From Songfacts.com
The song "Scarborough Fair" was just as popular during the Medieval Period of England in the 16th and 17th Century (1500s and 1600s) as the other two popular songs "Greensleeves" and "Early One Morning" .Back then the four spices, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, were widely known herbs commonly used in everyday cooking as a seasoning for meat and fish and poultry .

This song was heard at the actual fair in Scarborough, England, around the spring or summer season. A merchant of the village would sing this song not only to the crowd of tourists, but also to the fair maidens (the young women of the village who hearts were set on). The singer would charm them by playing this beautiful melody on the mandolin and singing the words to her, to show his love and affection .

Scarborough is a small town on the coast of England. The "Scarborough Fair" was a popular gathering in Medieval times, attracting traders and entertainers from all over the country. The fair lasted 45 days and started every August 15th. In the 1600s, mineral waters were found in Scarborough and it became a resort town. Today, Scarborough is a quiet town with a rich history. (thanks, Sheryl - Seal Rock, OR)

In Medieval England, this became a popular folk song as Bards would sing it when they traveled from town to town. The author of the song is unknown, and many different versions exist. The traditional version has many more lyrics than the Simon version.

Paul Simon learned about this song when he was on tour in England, where he heard a version by a popular Folk singer named Martin Carthy. When Carthy heard Simon & Garfunkel's rendition, he accused Simon of stealing his arrangement. Carthy and Simon did not speak until 2000, when Simon asked Carthy to perform this with him at a show in London. Carthy put his differences aside and did the show.

The lyrics are about a man trying to attain his true love. In Medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.

This was not released as a single until 1968, when it was used in the Dustin Hoffman movie The Graduate. It is on the soundtrack. The lines, "Remember me to one who lives there, She once was a true love of mine" were lifted from a 1963 Bob Dylan song called "Girl From The North Country." (thanks, Daniel - Baltimore, MD)

"Scarborough Fair" and "Canticle" are 2 songs that are sung simultaneously to create this piece. The first and last verses are "Scarborough Fair," but lines from "Canticle" alternate after the first line of the other verses, so "On the side of a hill in a deep forest green" and "Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground" are from "Canticle."

This song is often listed as "Scarborough Fair/Canticle." On The Paul Simon Songbook, a little known album of Simon-solo demos, there is a song called "The Side Of a Hill." It was reworked into the Canticle part of "Scarborough Fair." (thanks, Jesse - Roanoke, VA)

With its implicit anti-Vietnam war message, this was used in The Wonder Years TV series in a scene where Kevin Arnold embraces Winnie Cooper while the song was played at the end of the episode. In the show, Winnie's brother had been killed in Vietnam. (thanks, Marciliano - Fortaleza, Brazil)