Scarborough Fair / Canticle by Simon & Garfunkel

About The Song

Scarborough Fair/Canticle is a traditional English folk song that has been covered by many artists, including Simon & Garfunkel. The song is a beautiful and haunting ballad that tells the story of a young man who is pining for his lost love. The lyrics are full of imagery and symbolism, and the melody is simple yet unforgettable.

Simon & Garfunkel’s version of Scarborough Fair/Canticle was released in 1968 on their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The song was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It has since become one of the most popular and enduring folk songs of all time.

The song’s popularity can be attributed to a number of factors. First, the melody is simple and easy to sing along to. Second, the lyrics are beautiful and poetic. Third, the song has a timeless quality that appeals to people of all ages.

Simon & Garfunkel’s version of Scarborough Fair/Canticle is a classic example of folk music at its best. The song is simple, beautiful, and timeless. It is a song that will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Some additional details about the song:

• The song is a combination of two traditional English folk songs: “Scarborough Fair” and “The Canticle”.
• The lyrics of the song tell the story of a young man who is pining for his lost love. He asks her to perform a number of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without sleeves or sewing him a seam without thread.
• The song is full of imagery and symbolism. The parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme that the young man asks his love to gather are all herbs with symbolic meanings. Parsley represents fidelity, sage represents wisdom, rosemary represents remembrance, and thyme represents courage.
• The song’s melody is simple yet unforgettable. It is based on a traditional English folk melody that has been used in many other songs.
• Simon & Garfunkel’s version of Scarborough Fair/Canticle was recorded in 1968 and released on their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. The song was a critical and commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
• The song has been covered by many other artists, including Art Garfunkel, Joan Baez, and The Seekers.

Here are some interesting facts about the song:

• The song is thought to have originated in the 16th century.
• The song was originally a dance song.
• The song’s lyrics have been interpreted in many different ways. Some people believe that the song is about a love that is lost forever, while others believe that it is about the power of love to overcome all obstacles.
• The song has been used in a number of films and television shows, including The Graduate, The Simpsons, and Scrubs.

Scarborough Fair/Canticle is a beautiful and haunting ballad that has captured the hearts of people for centuries. The song is a classic example of folk music at its best. It is a song that will continue to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Video

Lyrics

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 (deep forest green)
Parsley sage rosemary and thyme
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 (a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand (A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
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 (General 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