Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist w… Read Full Bio ↴Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revival.

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 ↴

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

Overall Meaning

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

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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@PsychicIsaacs

4y↑27

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

(man)
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without any seam nor needlework
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Ask her to do me this courtesy
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And ask for a like favour from me
And then she'll be a true love of mine
(both)
Have you been to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Remember me from one who lives there
For he once was a true love of mine

(woman)
Ask him to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea-sand
For then he'll be a true love of mine

Ask him to plough it with a lamb's horn
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And sow it all over with one peppercorn
For then he'll be a true love of mine

Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it up with a rope made of heather
For then he'll be a true love of mine

When he has done and finished his work
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Ask him to come for his cambric shirt
For then he'll be a true love of mine
(both)
If you say that you can't, then I shall reply
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Oh, Let me know that at least you will try
Or you'll never be a true love of mine

Love imposes impossible tasks
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
But none more than any heart would ask
I must know you're a true love of mine

@user-cq1ti4lv4w

33w

Scarborough Fair
(traditional ballad)
Words and music adaptation by Martin Carthy

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.

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.

Ярмарок у Скарборо / Scarborough Fair
(translated into Ukrainian)
Words and music adaptation by Martin Carthy

Хто на ярмарок в Скарборо йде?
Шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян.
Там кохана була у мене,
нагадайте їй моє ім’я.

Ще й замовте сорочку лляну –
шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян –
із батисту без жодного шву,
тоді й буде та пані моя.

Загадайте їй поле знайти –
шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян –
між піском та узрізом води,
тоді й буде та пані моя.

Рогом виоре поле затим –
шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян –
та й зернятком засіє одним,
тоді й буде та пані моя.

Вижне поле серпом шкіряним –
шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян –
вереском обмолотить снопи,
тоді й буде та пані моя.

Хто на ярмарок в Скарборо йде?
Шавлія, розмарин і тім’ян.
Там кохана була у мене,
нагадайте їй моє ім’я.

@Machismo1983

4y↑9

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

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

@mariofeles3891

6y↑10

Scarborough is a small town on the coast of England. The "Scarborough Fair" was a popular gathering in Medieval times, attracting traders and entertainers from all over the country. The fair lasted 45 days and started every August 15th. In the 1600s, mineral waters were found in Scarborough and it became a resort town. Today, Scarborough is a quiet town with a rich history. (thanks, Sheryl - Seal Rock, OR)
In Medieval England, this became a popular folk song as Bards would sing it when they traveled from town to town. The author of the song is unknown, and many different versions exist. The traditional version has many more lyrics.
Paul Simon learned about this song when he was on tour in England, where he heard a version by a popular folk singer named Martin Carthy. When Carthy heard Simon & Garfunkel's rendition, he accused Simon of stealing his arrangement. Carthy and Simon did not speak until 2000, when Simon asked Carthy to perform this with him at a show in London. Carthy put his differences aside and did the show.

Martin Carthy learned the song from a Ewan MacColl songbook, and had recorded it on his first album, according to BBC's Patrick Hamphries.

Paul Simon admitted to the July 2011 edition of Mojo magazine: "The version I was playing was definitely what I could remember of Martin's version, but he didn't teach it to me. Really, it was just naivety on my part that we didn't credit it as his arrangement of a traditional tune. I didn't know you had to do that. Then later on, Martin's publisher contacted me and we made a pretty substantial monetary settlement that he was supposed to split with Martin, But unbeknown to me, Martin got nothing."
The lyrics are about a man trying to attain his true love. In Medieval times, the herbs mentioned in the song represented virtues that were important to the lyrics. Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.
This was not released as a single until 1968, when it was used in the Dustin Hoffman movie The Graduate. It is on the soundtrack.
Before Simon & Garfunkel got to it, Bob Dylan used the lines, "Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine" in his 1963 song "Girl From The North Country."
"Scarborough Fair" and "Canticle" are 2 songs that are sung simultaneously to create this piece. The first and last verses are "Scarborough Fair," but lines from "Canticle" alternate after the first line of the other verses, so "On the side of a hill in a deep forest green" and "Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground" are from "Canticle."
This song is often listed as "Scarborough Fair/Canticle." On The Paul Simon Songbook, a little known 1965 UK album of Simon-solo demos, there is a song called "The Side Of a Hill." "The Side Of a Hill" was reworked into the Canticle part of "Scarborough Fair." (thanks, Jesse - Roanoke, VA)
With its implicit anti-Vietnam War message, this was used in The Wonder Years TV series in a scene where Kevin Arnold embraces Winnie Cooper while the song was played at the end of the episode. In the show, Winnie's brother had been killed in Vietnam. (thanks, Marciliano - Fortaleza, Brazil)

All comments from YouTube:

@tomrainboro3728

3y↑32

Bless England and all who love her.

@martinfalls6614

6w↑1

I do, Tom; grandfather was born in London. Proud & humbled to share a birthday with Sir Martin in this life.

@bobareeniobobareenio2935

Idiot- the ENTIRE world is related! Not countries

@NuisanceMan

9y↑122

Unlike most who sing this, Martin Carthy really gets it...it's a sad song.

@Jonpriley

5y↑8

Exactly. It's a bitter song of rejection.

@mihaipopescu1295

5y↑3

... it's sad because is about the Black Death, actually...

@porterhall27

5y↑17

@@mihaipopescu1295 no it really isn't

@joosthoekstra9167

indeed 1

@matju2

4y↑5

@@mihaipopescu1295 Black Death is several centuries older than any surviving written record of any "version" of this song... including those that don't really say the same thing at all.

6 More Replies...

@RiverboatSeven

10y↑128

Brilliant man is Mr Carthy, and quite down to earth himself; I once asked him if he thought of publishing tabs for his music (I realize now how stupid that was...) He said, what would be the point - everyone would sound the same, and it's very important for musicians to find their own style. He shared with me that he used a few or couple of tunings and said go do your own thing! Thanks Mr Carthy, that's exactly what I did, drawing inspiration from his music and others.

@ReneeRules

7y↑2

what tuning did he use on this tune?

@NuisanceMan

5y↑3

@@jarmyvicious Obviously a gang of seven who go around on riverboats asking questions of folk singers.

@jamesrobert4106

46w↑2

@@ReneeRules It is standard tuning.

@nbenefiel

31w↑1

I loved it when he used to play with Dave Swarbrick.

@Mehefinheulog1

27w↑5

This rendition just so simple and beautiful. An amazing musician.

@emilym8571

46w↑11

Hauntingly beautiful voice. Love this version! (always thought Simon & Garfunkel's version was the only one)🤯

@davidfleuchaus

39w↑5

This one was first. Mr Simon snagged that first (amazing) chord voicing.

@Goudenogen

39w↑2

Traditional ballad

@nbenefiel

31w↑2

Very old song. There are several songs with impossible demands to win one’s true love.

@jjs777fzr

25w↑1

The harmony and variations of these lyrics date back hundreds of years.

@jeffryphillipsburns

4w↑1

@@Goudenogen It’s a traditional ballad, but this is Martin Cathy’s arrangement (not just performance) of it. Paul Simon was taught this arrangement directly by Martin Cathy himself and used it on his own recording, with Garfunkel harmonizing and one or both of them adding “Canticle”. Simon was successfully sued for taking Cathy’s arrangement, but Cathy personally never saw any money from it. I like the Simon and Garfunkel recording, but this recording has more emotional depth I think. Anyway, I wish Simon had credited Cathy. It’s not hard to do.

@pauldezeeuw6056

2y↑18

What a beautiful musical arrangement of Martin Carthy. And what a beautiful photo, that is telling from its own perspective. I would like to add a quote: "To romanticize the world is to make us aware of the magic, mystery and wonder of the world; it is to educate the senses to see the ordinary as extraordinary, the familiar as strange, the mundane as sacred, the finite as infinite." - Novalis

@user-tm3ln6qq5q

3y↑34

Martin Carthy has been a hero of mine since I was a kid. I was into punk when I discovered him, in the record section of Beckenham public library. To me, he's as iconic as Joe Strummer or John Lydon; his work shifted my whole perception of music at the time, and brought me to people like Dylan, Pentangle, John Martyn, Paul Simon, Nick Drake, Nic Jones. I had the amazing luck of meeting him a couple of years ago, at a gig in Islington. I was horribly drunk and so shameless that I asked him for a selfie. He was the total opposite of how heroes are supposed to be, was the most humble, down-to-earth utter gentleman. I'm very happy to report my 13 year old daughter is also a massive fan. I played her Jack Rowland when she was 6. She was hooked.

@MusicMan8257

10y↑325

This song goes back 1,000 years to pagan England, originally it was a fantasy song called the elfin knight. A dialogue about an elf knight and a mortal woman who wanted him to have sex with her. Over the years though it was Christianised and the roles were reversed. 300 years ago England was rural place and if you wanted to meet a husband or wife you'd have to travel to a big fair where people would meet and sell their vegetables and cattle. This song was sung only, no instruments. The new version 300 years old tells of a demon who comes to earth and tries to bewitch a mortal woman into falling in love with him. She says "no, I have parsley, sage rosemary and thyme. In a time when people thought diseases were really spells put on them by evil spirits sweet smelling herbs would ward off evil. So he set her tasks to perform if she didn't want to fall in love with him. Impossible tasks such as "Make me a cambric shirt" cambrick is very thick canvass for huge ships sails, And can't be made into a shirt with no seems or needlework. But she has parsley sage rosemary and thyme so she makes it through. Incidentally Martin Carthy wrote the guitar arrangement to this song.

@cocochanelleke

9y↑18

Thanks for your historical explanation Rich H. I always thought that this song was about impossible demands lovers make, and especially disappointed ones.

@MusicMan8257

9y↑8

It's got a haunting melody provided by Martin and it takes you back to a time when life was much simpler than today

@cocochanelleke

9y↑3

Rich H The basic interactions between us humans are still the same, methinks.

@NuisanceMan

9y↑7

Rich H Imaginative, but how do you know any of this?

@miserytake2

9y↑8

+Coco Chanelleke An interpretation I favor is that the singer's true love has died and that they can be together only in heaven which is not bound by worldly logic and constraints, -- the herbs being not only associated with spirits but also with warding off death and purifying after the plague.

So in this view it's essentially a sad song and the singer is asking the traveler to visit the grave of a beloved and impart this spell as a message they might see each other again.

41 More Replies...

@VC27

9y↑33

Bow down to you Mr. Carthy. You are truly a bard and a sage.

@daragildea7434

5y↑2

A sage is one who gives wise counsel. Martin Carthy is a bard, but he is not a sage.

@magnus3716

4y↑6

Best version

@vickystanley8853

5y↑11

I've always thought the herbs and impossible tasks were parts of a magic spell to regain lost love. What I'm sure of is, this is one of the two most beautiful renditions I've heard.

@pepitaunderthesun4763

4y↑2

I read the tasks are impossible, for example, the cambric shirt is meant to be intrinsically embroidered but they ask for it to be done without neddlework. It seems a rejection of the suitor by asking things they cannot provide, or maybe teasing them.

@Jimbo8012

4y↑3

The song is actually about the devil trying to seduce a woman and forcing her to complete seemingly impossible tasks. The repetition of 'parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme' is a reference to the medieval belief that those herbs could ward off evil spirits.

@pestisthebestspaghettikeys6944

1y↑1

@@pepitaunderthesun4763 You may never see this comment, but I hope you will, he is not teasing her with the impossible, he is testing her, to see if she will give up because it’s too hard or if she’ll try to win his love, if she will try to go against the impossible to win his heart.

The song is about testing the other persons heart and seeing if they are willing to fight for them.

@aldostott-morris9221

4y↑7

This is my all time favourite version of this song I've only seen Martin carthy play once and sadly he didn't play it but it was an amazing show regardless

@dimethaltryptamine1

You like it better than the Simon & Garfunkel version?

@kimjoellis5893

3y↑4

Martin was the first to lay it down for guitar before that it was always acapella his is the first I heard twenty or more years ago and my favourite

@welshtoro3256

8y↑15

Absolutely stunning. I can't think of anything else to say.

@amandasilvester22

3y↑3

Pure, and timeless.

@dianapohe

12y↑8

Oh my, Martin Carthy sang Scarborough Fair and I didn't know about it.. I just knew the (wonderful) Simon & Garfunkel's version..! Now my life makes sense ♥

@stanleynewrine8601

6y↑6

simon and garfunkle actually stole this rendition from him

@beardocuba

6y↑2

borrowed !

@hhehehe

That's so wholesome for you to say

@TheEulerID

@@beardocuba uncredited at the time...

@sunkintree

3y↑6

You don't know about Martin Carthy's (original) version of this folk tune because PAUL SIMON DOESNT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT

3 More Replies...

@cocochanelleke

9y↑18

wish I could give his version 100 stars

@SuperNevile

8y↑2

Paul Simon did.. ;-)

@jamesrobert4106

51w

@@SuperNevile Several decades late!!!

@NancyBaron1

6y↑31

Thank you sir for your brilliance and generosity. Simon and his collection agency tormented me for singing this song
on YouTube as if Simon wrote the melody and lyrics!. I found out about your work at this late date researching :The Elfin knight", a children's song from the middle ages. I am planning to sing the latter and wonder if the melody is the same?I know that a man named John Kitson rewrote "The Elfin Knight" over 200 years ago, I relate to your values since I refuse monies from You Tube. I sing because I was born to do so and just am very casual at home when the mood strikes..I love songs from the middle ages and medieval times;.I just sing A Capella and have a little channel.This is a very difficult era that we live in. Anyway, thank you for teaching "it" this song, we yanks would probably have never heard it otherwise. Best regards, Nancy

@whoisbhauji

6y↑3

that's sad - i'm guessing it was more the agency... u should just put up ur version anyways...

@HeathWatts

5y↑4

Paul Simon, according to Carthy, learned the song and this arrangement and copyrighted it the next day.

@pyleen

Sad news...

Maybe Simon should have took the stance Martin did when he ripped the balls off him.....
Good on you btw ❤

@midiolympics5105

3y↑1

@@whoisbhauji " "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" was the lead track of the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, and was released as a single after being featured on the soundtrack to The Graduate in 1968. The copyright credited only Simon and Garfunkel as the authors, causing ill-feeling on the part of Carthy, who felt the "traditional" source should have been credited".

@stephendouglas4870

2y↑2

Please continue with your singing! Martin Carthy, whom I've had the privilege of listening to live in the old town of Winchester (where the Cathedral is), stood with his guitar and sang for two and a half hours from his endless list of songs - some dating back hundreds of years. In a recent documentary, he remarked that these songs are everyone's property, and you can make your own versions, as people have always done! He then said that he didn't mind the young Paul Simon, while travelling around the folk circuit in the south of England, taking his (Martin Carthy's) own musical arrangement of this song ... only that he did mind that a copyright be taken out on it in America.

1 More Replies...

@Mollop93

12y↑19

Martin Carthy is doing a concert at my Uni this evening! :D

@FirstnameLastname-nd9wx

4y↑2

was he any good

@smoath

3y↑2

@@FirstnameLastname-nd9wx I was just about to write the same 😂

@andrewmillham4023

3y↑1

We all wanna know lol

@GeoMariaGeorge

2y↑1

@@andrewmillham4023 7 Months Later, still waiting ...

@andrewmillham4023

@@GeoMariaGeorge Me too! Guess we’ll never know 😂

2 More Replies...

@PsychicIsaacs

4y↑27

@Itsaboutthewaterlife

3y↑2

Hey thanks.

@stephendevore

Source? (The "both" and separate man woman lines are of interest.)

@dingoswamphead

7y↑1

Amazing magical, trancy arrangement.

@farescroteauformerlyfaresb9899

8y↑3

This is such a great song :)

@huwzebediahthomas9193

2y↑2

RIP Norma, Mrs 'Carthy'.

@arfermo853

Beautiful truly beautiful oh for old england

@emmadoesartonline

3y↑24

Can't we appreciate this version of the song without using it to shit on Simon and Garfunkel's version? This song is very old and has been reinterpreted dozens of time. That is a beautiful part of it's history!!

@alecneate76

3y↑12

I think it's the fact simon just took the song without recognising cathy's contribution. And that he pronounces Scarborough wrong. But he did write april come she will so he's somewhat forgiven.

@rodjones117

3y↑14

It's the fact that Carthy showed Simon the guitar part (as here) that he and he alone had written, and Simon not only stole it and claimed copyright, he didn't credit Carthy, and paymeny had to be dragged out of him by process of the law (or at least the threat of it).

@JackF99

3y↑4

Simon added the haunting anti-war Cantical which to me makes the song so much more meaningful.

@rodjones117

3y↑1

@@JackF99 Nobody is disputing that.

@JackF99

3y↑5

@@rodjones117 Seems Carthy eventually came to appreciate the changes Simon made and they performed it together in 2000. I think Simon should have given Carthy credit on the album but that not withstanding, I do value S&G's version very much.

10 More Replies...

@oriel9347

27w

What an utterly beautiful photo ❤ (especially love the jar of marmite).

@RobCarmina

1y↑3

The idea of the impossible request is very ancient - in Child's collection of popular ballads it appears in 'The Elfin Knight' section - the second ballad of his vast collection. The actual source of 'Scarborough Fair' is in what Child presents as 'Version G' - where there are two lovers vying for supremacy over each other - the man says 'Can you make me a cambrick shirt, without any seam of needle work' - etc. - and then the lady responds by saying 'Can you find me an acre of land / Between the salt water and the sea sand?' - So the song on which Scarborough Fair is based is actually not an expression of bitter resentment from a jilted or betrayed male lover, but a lively, light-hearted interchange between two flirting lovers - both of whom vie with each other, in a mutual courting fashion, using the 'impossible task' syndrome. As regards the accusation of plagiarism by Paul Simon - I think Paul Simon's genius is shown in the way that he took the idea of the impossible task as uttered by the embittered male lover - i.e. the further development from the earlier, light-hearted ballad - and then blended it with an original song of his own that he called the 'Canticle', which is a protest song about the futility of war. This 'collage' was then recorded at the height of the Vietnam War, and is a brilliant expression of the hopelessness and bitterness of that disaster, parallelled as it is with the association of a bitter satire uttered by a dejected lover - so you have in one song the intensity of one individual's despair contrasted with the intensity of a savage, hopeless global conflict - but also, if one allows that Simon knew the tradition behind the song, then contrasted again with the light playfulness of young, flirting lovers in the time of peace. I think it's a gross misinterpretation simply to say that Paul Simon 'ripped off' this song from Martin Carthy - his main fault, if it did occur, was not to acknowledge publicly that he learnt the song from Carthy - his other is that he borrowed and developed Carthy's guitar figure and didn't credit it. However, I think that the real main point of contention that irks the dyed-in-the-wool, English folkie 'purists', is that Paul Simon used a traditional song as a basis for creating something new - horror of horrors!!! This is a completely indefensible stance to take - you only have to look into Child's incredible work of ballad collection to see that traditional balladry is in a continual state of flux - of change, of mutation, even metamorphosis - every singer adds or subtracts something from a body of work that nobody can assign to any single composer. The other point that these 'purists' miss, or wrongfully reject, is actually two-fold: 1 - there is no 'living tradition' in English balladry any more - BUT - 2 - what makes these ballads stay alive IS the interpretation they are being given by contemporary performers - who very often, as Paul Simon has done, bring in other musical or literary ideas to form a new creation around that original ballad idea. This is the action of the true artist - rather than the museum official, or the 'keeper' of some long-extinct (but still, to some, sacred) flame.

@davidfleuchaus

39w↑1

Great commentary. Your comment should be submitted for the best YouTube comment of the year award - if there were one.

Thank you

@unpataunpata

7y↑2

true love of mind

@richarddyasonihc

1y↑1

Surprisingly enough, Martin Carthy taught Paul Simon this version of this renounced Englishfolk ballad. He and his partner Garfunkel made a hit song using the very tune & lyrics that Martin taught them - and Paul Simon took out a copyright on it. Therefore every time Martin Carthy performed or recorded his song, he was obliged to pay a fee to Paul Simon for the song he taught him to play! If you’re an American, don’t even think of scruples - none of them ever do.

@robertlepper5460

47w

Why surprisingly?😊

@davidmcconville1756

15w

As I understand it Carthy sold his Copyright unknowingly to his Publisher. Simon paid royalties to the publisher, but of course Carthy received nothing. Carthy only became aware of this situation when he and Simon met again in the 1990s

@bodomalo

14w

Please name a source for that story.
I am not going to believe this is how royalty fee works, not what I learned at least.
First: Never ever the performer pays a fee to the writer. Its a society named PPL in the UK collecting money from the public, radio, TV and giving that money to the writer. So Martin did not pay a fee, like you say.
2nd: This kind of royaltie fee does not exist in the US, so we have 2 systems that do not work together. Google it. Anyway, the UK system might even send money to the US artist, that is true.

Last, it is registered as traditional, also with Simon and Garfunkel, and I have not found a source that says what the UK system does with traditional songs. If they send money to Simon they would be stupid. Anyway, never ever Martin would pay a fee out of his pocket to Simon.
There must a lot of uninformed people around who would collect that money. Could be that once Martin wanted to play at a pub and the owner thought he would have to pay a fee because that guy did not know anything and he wanted to collect money from the artist. In my country the pub has to send a list of live performed Songs and pay a fee...absolute nonsense idea in my opinion
. music industry sucks.

@paulbangash4317

Lovely.

@kurikokaleidoscope

5y↑1

excellent. happy to subscribe.

@StephenSeabird

You are from Japan? I remember being there, and how popular Simon and Garfunkel were, so I hope you like this version and play it to friends; and then read to them the comment above from someone called 'Rich H', who tells the ancient history of this song, which is very mysterious... Scarborough is a real place, on the North-East coast!

@annejagger4868

Great advert for Marmite! Happy birthday Mr C..

@kamhontam1251

32w

He sings like a bard. Great

@acnalbassacnoom

11y↑47

He taught the song to Paul Simon, if I recall correctly.

@lopezb

5y↑25

Yes. Simon heard Carthy sing it and afterwards asked him to show him how to play it and write down the words.
Then Simon went back to the States and copyrighted this traditional song as if it was his, with no mention of Carthy's brilliant arrangement. However he did with Garfunkel add a brilliant "Canticle" and harmony, see this wonderful doc on Bert Jansch, where the story is told,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DONv5nqjbsE
and also see for a great explanation of the Canticle part:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzqau3GOYo8&t=561s

@jolcom6204

5y↑9

And to Bob Dylan a few years earlier, who then wrote Girl From the North Country.

@Celtokee

4y↑3

@@lopezb Simon also blatantly ripped off a Bach melody for his "An American Tune." Bach himself had "borrowed" the melody from an older (c. 1600) German love song, "Mein G'müt ist mir verwirret" by Hans Leo Haßler:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx1KepOrwP0
Simon copyrighted the song, of course, and it says on the album, "Words and music by Paul Simon."

@PHJimY

3y↑5

@@jolcom6204 But, unlike Simon, Bob gave Martin full credit for inspiring his song.

@sammie_schl

3y↑3

@@Celtokee It’s not ripping off since Bach’s music is free for anyone to sample or use without actually needing to give credit

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@user-cq1ti4lv4w

33w

@jfefinishingsystemslimited5792

Mesmerising sound he has.

@CJBW335

6y↑5

Sublime.

@Blueyes787

annette wise 00000000j0oo0i00j0000j00ok oi o.o 000000o000o00000o0o0000Jon

@Blueyes787

00oj0o0o0o00000000

@Blueyes787

0o000oj0000070700000

@Blueyes787

O00o00k00

@namethathasntbeentakenyetm3682

this is very nice

@duncanwilson7390

6y↑1

Timeless

@Blueyes787

Duncan Wilson 0pp0o00o0j

@Blueyes787

000000000

@Blueyes787

00o0o0o00o000000

@Blueyes787

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@jorgeno-remix679

5y↑1

Delicious!

@Scy416

4y↑4

Paying tribute to the "original"

Yamada Tamaru version here <3

@ShireWitch

12y↑1

@eratosthanes,It is Norma Waterson in the pic.

@mustaphaberokhrokh291

7y↑1

Anyone got a link to a tab for this ? all i could find was for the paul simon one.

@OldMcHorny

the chords are basically the same, just put your capo some frets down and fin out yourself

@grimbolyorum6929

Check out Bob Hooper on YTube does a nice arrangement get tabs from him cost a fiver

@MultiDonald

3y↑1

This version moves me

@dianapohe

11y

Didn't know this :)

@testtest-je8xb

subscriber 101

@dickmiles6639

Martin performs live in Ballydehob Community Hall CountyCork Sat june 15 7pm admission 18 euros visit his website for details or fastnet maritime and folk festival website for online tickets

@JulianHotaling

27w

Das Lied, zuerst in Cymric geschrieben von Qeklevtha, eine Heiligerin von Hebrides...

@bobjohnson5486

✨✨😊✨✨

@oleggorky906

Bob Dylan's old mucker is still a class act.

@eratosthanes

12y↑2

Is that Norma Waterson in the picture?

@stephenhudson7039

eratosthanes I guess so.🇬🇧

@Veni_Vidi_Vortice

4y↑1

And a jar of Marmite

@huwzebediahthomas9193

35w

Still utterly fair,
Capitol Records....
Them shamed to death
to pay up.

@PakiNewsNetwork

13y

@arozinsk Pakistan is easy to navigate. Where the hell did Pakistan step in this epic song? And you mustnt have heard of Martin Carthy. He was a legend of his time.

@Yanto2013

5y↑1

Does anyone know the tuning he is using for this please? It isn't standard tuning.

@porterhall27

it's probably DADGAD, I know he used it in other songs or perhaps CGCDGA which is a derivitive

@hopefulguitarist7532

standard tuning but all strings tunes a half step down works for me

@gamma68

4y↑3

Standard tuning, capo at 4th fret.

@anthonylee9652

5y↑8

This knocks the S&G bastardised slush version into a Cocked Hat.

@Machismo1983

4y↑9

@melianna999

I like this MAN- like interpretation. Voice and power. Not tears and groan like a woman ... and so many...too many "men"
today.

@PsyMongazoid

7y↑14

This is Martin's arrangement. Paul Simon copied him, which he freely admits. Who knew?

@Jonpriley

5y↑3

It's a fairly well-known story. Simon and Bob Dylan were both inspired by this arrangement when they heard it in London in 1962/3. Fingerstyle accompaniments for English folk music were rare then, and one chord shape in particular appealed to them: x-0-4-0-3-0. Paul Simon added x-0-2-2-0-0 to that, and Dylan added an E bass and turned the song into Girl From the North Country.

@andybowen1249

Could you explain what that chord shape means,in as much as I know basic chords like G,D,C,A,E,F and A minor?

@Jonpriley

5y↑3

@@andybowen1249 The notes in the chord (bottom to top) are A-F#-G-D-E. A-F#-D make a D major chord, so it could be called "Dadd4add2/A". It could also have a few other names but none of them are any simpler. But the song is in A dorian mode (A minor with an F# instead of F), so the chord can be seen as just a collection of notes from the mode. It's a shape that's easy enough for an experimental-minded guitarists to discover, and I don't suppose Carthy spent too long worrying about what it was called. ;-)

@andybowen1249

Thanks very much,I’ve always felt that I could never improve with the guitar but just recently and each time I pick it up I’m finally starting to get it,stuff like picking out that root note with my thumb is the difference between sounding poor and half decent.
Guess the next step is to try and suss out some of the folk alternative tunings ect.
Many thanks anyway,I’ll have a bash at this.

@Jonpriley

@@andybowen1249 tab here (not mine!) http://www.tobeortaboo.de/music/tabs/songs/scarborough_fair.html

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@smoath

3y↑1

I can't find another version I can actually listen to

@microchip1697

It just occurred to me that the female is not free. She lives in a grey area of spirituality. She will be free, which is to say that she will become politically liberated. I will hold my breath until that day. I know that that day will come. Yes, it is nearly here.

@LegoDonut18

Nathan Darby

@unpataunpata

5y↑1

Sow it with one peppercorn

@3niknicholson

4y↑1

Incredible nostalgic power of timelessness, a great performance. I'm not going to bother with Selfish and Greedy's rendition any more.

@dustypulver1

4y↑2

Doesn't sound correct without Swarb's fiddle solo.

@TheFolkRevivalProject

4y↑1

Could you provide a link to a version with Dave Swarbrick? I can't find one.

@dustypulver1

@@TheFolkRevivalProject I'm thinking of how they used to do it live back in the late 60's. Before Dave got caught up with Fairport Convention. About the time when Martin and Dave were a top act on the folk scene recording "Rags, Reels & Airs" with Diz Disley. Around the time when Paul Simon shared a flat in the East end with Jackson C. Frank, Al Stewart and occasionally with Jackson's girl friend Sandy Denny.

@user-td4do3op2d

@@dustypulver1 Amazing! It's so unfortunate there doesn't seem to be a recording with Swarbrick.

@TheFolkRevivalProject

@@dustypulver1 What a time!

@ruthdixon7807

37w

controversially nicked by paul simon, who failed to credit carthy's arrangement, resulting in the two men not speaking for thirty years.

@MrLuridan

7y↑13

Paul Simon ripped this off.

@theiceman6941

7y↑4

Yes, he never gave him credit for it; he stole it.

@lucyfoster4082

6y↑7

Carthy taught him the song, but didn't write it, and Simon's arrangement is quite different..

@adrianacernochova

6y↑12

To be honest, I like Simon's version better.

@mariofeles3891

6y↑10

@mariofeles3891

6y↑5

inform yourself instead of speaking shitt

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@arozinsk

14y

This song is for Pakistan.............impossible to navigate.

@shiraiterra

8y↑5

I am sorry! but I hear captain Kirk singing!!!!

@shiraiterra

8y↑6

+Martyn Harwood I'm so sorry you are feeling bad. Hope you feel better soon and stop trying to offend ppl around the internet.

@martynharwood7919

8y↑1

+Laura Miranda 2 quotes from the bible for you -ears have they yet they hear not, and cast not pearls before swine.

@shiraiterra

8y↑4

+Martyn Harwood thanks! l find it so weird you try to offend me and then quote the scriptures to me. What is with you? If my original comment bothered you; I love this song and I'm a trekky so I was making an observation, not making fun of it.