Scarborough fair
Amy Nuttall Lyrics


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

Tell him to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seams nor needle work
Then he\\'ll be a true love of mine

Tell him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between salt water and the sea strands
Then he\\'ll be a true love of mine


Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
Then he\\'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
He once was a true love of mine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics for Amy Nuttall's "Scarborough Fair" are intriguing in their simplicity, but they also carry a nuanced message. The song is essentially a dialogue between two people who are separated - the singer and her former lover. The song starts with her asking whether the other person will be going to Scarborough fair, and then she asks him to do a few things for her. First, she asks him to remember her to one who lives there - presumably someone she knows - and then she makes three other requests, which become progressively more difficult.


The requests themselves are somewhat enigmatic - making a cambric shirt without seams or needle work, finding her an acre of land between the sea and the salt water, and reaping the land with a sickle of leather and gathering it all in a bunch of heather. The common thread among these requests is the repetition of the refrain "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme," which serves to emphasize the singer's longing for her former love. The refrain is also a nod to the herbal symbolism of medieval times, where each of these herbs had a certain significance - parsley stood for comfort, sage for health, rosemary for love, and thyme for courage.


Taken together, the lyrics of "Scarborough Fair" can be interpreted as a desire to reconnect with someone who has moved on. The requests that the singer makes are impossible tasks, ones that even someone who once loved her would not be able to fulfill. The repetition of the refrain, however, highlights the fact that these tasks are less important than the role of memory and nostalgia in keeping the connection between the two alive.


Line by Line Meaning

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Are you planning to attend the event happening in Scarborough town?


Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
These are herbs that represent love, purification, strength, and courage. They are mentioned multiple times throughout the song and convey a message of love and longing.


Remember me to one who lives there
Please pass on my greetings to the person residing in Scarborough town.


He once was a true love of mine
This person was my former lover, and I still have feelings for them.


Tell him to make me a cambric shirt
Please ask him to craft a lightweight and fine-textured garment for me.


Without no seams nor needle work
I want it to be created without any stitches or sewing.


Then he'll be a true love of mine
If he fulfills this request, I will consider him a true love of mine.


Tell him to find me an acre of land
Ask him to locate a plot of land that is an acre in size.


Between salt water and the sea strands
I want this land to be situated close to the ocean, between the salty water and the sandy shores.


Then he'll be a true love of mine
If the person can find and provide me with this land, I will love him deeply.


Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather
If he can harvest this land with a sickle made of leather, that would be impressive.


And gather it all in a bunch of heather
Collect all the fruits of the harvest and tie them together in bunches of heather flowers.


Then he'll be a true love of mine
Completing this challenging task would make me love him even more.


Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
The song ends as it begins, asking the same question as before, perhaps implying that the singer is still hopeful to meet their former love in Scarborough town.




Writer(s): Hans Lingenfelder, Roland Heck, Mathias Roederer, Michael Philip Mcglynn, Hans Guenter Heumann, Carly E. Simon, Sergio Mendes, Carl William Doy, Paul Simon, Arthur Garfunkel, Dave Grusin, James Last, Thorsten Bauer, Nigel Paul Kennedy, Alexander Krull, Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull, Nick Patrick, Gerd Koethe, Frank Peterson Copyright: Hanseatic Musikverlag Gmbh & Co. Kg, Emi Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music Ltd., Koch Music Oe Ehem. Franz Koch Mv Ed., Paul Simon Music, Ed. Koch/Universal, C'Est Music, Happy Musikverlag Gmbh & Co. Kg, Imagem Songs Ltd., Bosworth Gmbh, Warner Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd., WB Music Corp.

Contributed by Alaina C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

Desiree O'Neal

Your voice is heaven sent and this video is stunning and wistful at the same time. Just beautiful!

Vicente Antonio Barberi

Hermosa mujer, hermosa voz, hemosa canción y hermosa interpretación !!

petereuropa

Wonderful! And what fine sound this video have. By the way, I have an acre of land close to Scarborough. Love her voice!

Violette Rose

I love Amy so much. It's been years since I last heard this song but every time I come across it, I fall in love all over again ♡♡

장가방

I heard first time your voice,  wonderful!!!!!

Cylonleader

Amy sings the best version of Scarborough fair ever plus she is a very beautiful woman indeed xxx

Dee Jones

Even though I'm not Scottish or Irish. I love this kind of music.

MK Luna

Amazing voice.. great Soprano...

Sufi Miah

Absolutely mesmerising stuff i was in infants assembly hall sing a longs with our music teacher in malmesbury infants school x. Emotional with flooded childhood memories

Frieda Waters

Dee Jones...Scot, Irish music is called CELTIC. Beautiful! Amy Nuttalls voice is Gorgeous!! If u like Celtic, you may like Native American songs & music. Similar. So haunting.

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