Greensleeves
Mannheim Steamroller Lyrics


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Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever you would crave,
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

My men were clothed all in green,
And they did ever wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
but still thou hadst it readily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

Well, I will pray to God on high,
that thou my constancy mayst see,
And that yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
To God I pray to prosper thee,
For I am still thy lover true,
Come once again and love me.

Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,




Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my lady Greensleeves.

Overall Meaning

The song "Greensleeves" is a beautiful and heartbreaking ballad about a man who has lost the affection of his beloved, Greensleeves. Throughout the song, the man expresses his adoration for her, explaining that she was his joy, his delight, and his heart of gold. Despite his deep love for her, Greensleeves has broken his heart by breaking her vows to him.


The man laments that he remains in a world apart while his heart remains in captivity to his love for her. He has even wagered his life and land to have her love and good-will. However, Greensleeves still refuses him and even though she disdains him, he remains her lover in captivity.


The final verse of the song shows the man's desperation, as he prays that Greensleeves will someday see his constancy and love him before he dies. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the man bidding farewell to Greensleeves, but still holding out hope that she will return to him.


Line by Line Meaning

Greensleeves was all my joy
I found great happiness in Greensleeves


Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves brought me much joy and pleasure


Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
Greensleeves was very precious to me


And who but my lady Greensleeves.
Only my lady Greensleeves held such a special place in my heart


Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
You have broken your promises to me, just as you have broken my heart


Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Why did you captivate and enchant me in the first place?


Now I remain in a world apart
I am now isolated and separated from you


But my heart remains in captivity.
My heart is still held captive by my love for you


I have been ready at your hand,
I have always been at your disposal


To grant whatever you would crave,
To fulfill your every desire


I have both wagered life and land,
I have risked my life and my property


Your love and good-will for to have.
To win your love and affection


If you intend thus to disdain,
If you plan to treat me with contempt and rejection


It does the more enrapture me,
It only increases my love and devotion to you


And even so, I still remain
Despite this treatment, I am still devoted to you


A lover in captivity.
I am a captive to my love for you


My men were clothed all in green,
My followers were all dressed in green


And they did ever wait on thee;
And they always served you


All this was gallant to be seen,
It was a fine sight to behold


And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But still, you did not love me


Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
You were content with nothing else


but still thou hadst it readily.
But you always had it readily available


Thy music still to play and sing;
You were still able to enjoy your music


And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But still, you did not love me


Well, I will pray to God on high,
I will pray to God above


that thou my constancy mayst see,
So that you may see my devotion


And that yet once before I die,
And that one last time before I die


Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
You will be kind enough to love me


Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
Farewell Greensleeves, goodbye


To God I pray to prosper thee,
I pray to God that you may prosper


For I am still thy lover true,
Because I am still your true lover


Come once again and love me.
Please come back and love me again




Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Traditional

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@timothysevers9779

Chipā€™s daughter needs to cut an album. She has a phenomenal voice.

@margaretblessednfavoredmcg4727

Yes she does,i love her.ā¤

@rebeccaatkinson7291

Yessssssssssss she does omgomgomg I love her!!!

@kareemofthecrop

Just heard this live (vocals were on a recording) and it was incredible.

@noralopez5723

this song as been my favorite song
since I can remember . One Christmas my parents couldnā€™t afford Christmas presents. I got a music box and when I opened it it played this song. but someone got into my things and broke the music box. I was so brokenhearted friend of mine bought me a little music box that had that same song on it. then I ran into this video. This girl has got a beautiful voice and the music in the background is beautiful. I love this song so much green sleeves.

@jenniferharris670

I've been listening to Mannheim for close to 40 years and love that the next generation is so talented, hopefully to continue this beautiful music for many years to come!

@ViaSandee

Ditto!

@elainesimons9079

One of Rush Limbaugh's favorite groups.
Every Christmas he played them. He is missed by so many.
šŸ˜”

@ellieontherise

I had never heard of MannHEIM STEAMROLLER until last Wednesday when I won tickets to their Christmas show on my local Christian radio station. My dad is a big fan, apparently. Who knew? Here's to making up lost time. There are now two second generation members. I find this to be awesome. You go Elyse! Sing it baby!

@bluestar3464

Only a handful of times have I heard a song and had it be love-at-first-listen! This was one of them: beautiful girl, beautiful singing, lyrics and music. Thank you Mannheim Steamroller for all the great music over the years!

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