Greensleeves
Mannheim Steamroller f/Elyse Davis Lyrics
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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
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.
The song Greensleeves is a classic ballad that tells the story of a man who is deeply in love with a lady named Greensleeves. He describes how she was his joy, delight and heart of gold. However, his lady love has broken her vows and left him alone, and the man is left in a world apart from her. Despite his captivity in love, he remains devoted to her.
He expresses his readiness to do anything for his love, even wager his life and land. He tells Greensleeves that even if she disdains his love, it only enraptures him more and he remains her love captive. The man's followers were always waiting on her, but she couldn't bring herself to love him, even though she could have anything she wanted.
In the final stanza, the man prays that Greensleeves may see his constancy and that she may love him again before he dies. He bids farewell but promises to remain her true lover and asks her to come back and love him again.
Line by Line Meaning
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was the source of all joy in my life
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves brought me great pleasure
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
Greensleeves was the most precious thing to me
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
No one but my lady Greensleeves could bring me such happiness
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 make me love you so deeply?
Now I remain in a world apart
Now I am alone and separated from you
But my heart remains in captivity.
But my heart is still imprisoned by my love for you
I have been ready at your hand,
I have always been willing to give you whatever you wanted
To grant whatever you would crave,
To give you anything you desired
I have both wagered life and land,
I have risked everything I have, including my life, for your love
Your love and good-will for to have.
In order to win your love and affection
If you intend thus to disdain,
If you intend to reject me in this way
It does the more enrapture me,
It only makes me love you more deeply
And even so, I still remain
And yet, I still hold onto my love for you
A lover in captivity.
A prisoner of my own love for you
My men were clothed all in green,
My servants were all dressed in green
And they did ever wait on thee;
And they always served you
All this was gallant to be seen,
All of this was impressive and stylish
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
And yet you would not return my love
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
You did not want anything material
but still thou hadst it readily.
But you had everything you could have wanted anyway
Thy music still to play and sing;
You still played your music and sang your songs
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
And still you did not love me
Well, I will pray to God on high,
I will pray to God in heaven
that thou my constancy mayst see,
That you may see my devotion to you
And that yet once before I die,
And that before I die
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
You will finally choose to love me
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
Goodbye, Greensleeves
To God I pray to prosper thee,
I pray to God for your well-being
For I am still thy lover true,
Because I am still truly in love with you
Come once again and love me.
Please come back and love me again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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