He was born in Hatfield and grew up in Hampstead, London. After training as an actor he sang in coffee bars. He became a resident at the Troubador folk club in Earls Court in the late 1950s. He joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961. He is a renowned solo performer of traditional songs in a very distinctive style, accompanying himself on his trusty old Martin Guitar; his style is marked by the use of alternate tunings, and a strongly percussive picking style that emphasizes the melody. His debut album, Martin Carthy, was released in 1965, and also featured Dave Swarbrick playing fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.
He has also been involved with many musical collaborations. He has sung with The Watersons since 1972, was an early member of the UK folk rock group Steeleye Span, and was part of the innovative Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and mandolin and John Kirkpatrick's accordion, melodeon and concertina.
For many years Carthy has enjoyed a creative partnership with fiddle player Dave Swarbrick. More recently, Waterson:Carthy has provided the forum for a successful partnership with partner Norma Waterson together with their daughter Eliza Carthy.
In June 1998 he was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he also won the award for Best Traditional Track for 'Famous Flower of Serving Men'.
Scarborough Fair
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seam nor needlework
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 strand
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to plough it with a lamb's horn
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And to sow it all o'er with one peppercorn
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And to thrash it all out with a bunch of heather
And 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
For once she was a true love of mine
The lyrics to the song Scarborough Fair tell the story of a man asking a messenger to convey a message to his former lover who resides in the town of Scarborough. He gives specific instructions to the messenger to ask her to perform impossible tasks like making a shirt without using a needle and without any seams, finding him an acre of land between the saltwater and the sea strand and plowing it with a lamb's horn. If she fulfills all these impossible tasks, then she will be a true love of his once again. It's said that this song was inspired by an old Scottish ballad called “The Elfin Knight” but was revamped by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in 1966 and was made into a chart-topping hit as “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”. The song's haunting melody and the careful use of third-person narration provide a subtle sense of distance to the message conveyed by the singer to his lover.
The use of herbs with each verse indicates the role of herbs in folk medicine during medieval times. It was said that herbs had magical properties, and each one of them had specific uses. Parsley symbolized new beginnings, sage indicated wisdom, rosemary stood for love and remembrance, and thyme represented courage and strength. The impossibility of the tasks given in the song may also symbolize the difficulty in achieving true love, and it may be seen as a test of the depth of love that a person has for the other.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Are you planning on attending the annual market in Scarborough?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
These are herbs that have been traditionally used for their healing, flavoring and aromatic characteristics.
Remember me to one who lives there
Pass on my regards to a certain individual who resides there.
For once she was a true love of mine
I had a romantic relationship with her in the past and have fond memories of her.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Request that she create a finely woven linen shirt for me.
Without no seam nor needlework
It should be constructed without any visible stitching.
And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she makes this shirt for me, it will strengthen our bond and affirm her love for me.
Tell her to find me an acre of land
Ask her to locate a plot of land for me.
Between the salt water and the sea strand
It should be situated within close proximity to the ocean.
And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she can assist me in acquiring this land, it will demonstrate her dedication to me.
Tell her to plough it with a lamb's horn
Encourage her to use a horn from a young sheep to till the soil.
And to sow it all o'er with one peppercorn
Instruct her to scatter only a single peppercorn over the entire acre.
And then she'll be a true love of mine
If she follows these highly specific instructions, it will prove her love and devotion to me.
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Ask her to harvest the crops with a cutting tool fashioned from leather.
And to thrash it all out with a bunch of heather
Have her use a bundle of dry heather to separate the grain from the stalks.
And then she'll be a true love of mine
Completing these tasks will serve as a testament to her love for me.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
A repetition of the first line, again inquiring about one's plans to attend the annual market in Scarborough.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Repeating the list of herbs, their significance unchanged from the first iteration.
Remember me to one who lives there
Once again requesting that one convey a message of remembrance to this individual living in Scarborough.
For once she was a true love of mine
A final reminiscence of the artist's romantic history with this person.
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J.F. BACARDI, DP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel
on Lovely Joan
Hello ! The lyrics here art alle wrong. An' it's got tae be a frog-eater a-tellin' thee....