Mason Williams emerged in the late 1960s as a strong force in television and music circles. In 1968 he won two Grammy awards for his unique composition for guitar, "Classical Gas". That same year he also won an Emmy award for his work as a comedy writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Greensleeves
Mason Williams 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 tells a story of unrequited love and heartbreak. The singer in the song expresses how Greensleeves, his lady love, was his joy, delight, and heart of gold. However, she has broken her vows and has left him in captivity. He pledges his love and loyalty to her despite her disdain for him. The singer appeals to her to see his constancy and love him before he dies. The song ends with the singer bidding her farewell, still hoping for her love to come back to him.
Line by Line Meaning
Greensleeves was all my joy
I found all my joy and happiness in Greensleeves
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my source of delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
My love for Greensleeves was priceless and precious like gold
And who but my lady Greensleeves.
No one but Greensleeves was the love of my life and soulmate.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
You broke your promises just like you broke my heart
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Why did you attract me so, only to let me down?
Now I remain in a world apart
I am left alone and isolated from the world
But my heart remains in captivity.
My heart is still trapped in the love and feelings for you
I have been ready at your hand,
I have always been at your service
To grant whatever you would crave,
I was always willing to give you what you desired
I have both wagered life and land,
I have risked everything, even my life and property
Your love and good-will for to have.
Just to have your love and affection.
If you intend thus to disdain,
If you intend to reject me like this
It does the more enrapture me,
It only makes me want you more and be more attracted to you
And even so, I still remain
Despite everything, I am still
A lover in captivity.
Trapped and held captive by love and feelings 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,
It was impressive and admirable
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But you still wouldn't love me
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
You didn't crave anything material
but still thou hadst it readily.
But you still had it easily and readily
Thy music still to play and sing;
You could still play and sing your music
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But you still wouldn't 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 will see my faithfulness
And that yet once before I die,
And that before I die
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
You will grant me the privilege of being loved by you
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
Goodbye, Greensleeves
To God I pray to prosper thee,
I wish God to bless and prosper you
For I am still thy lover true,
I am still your loyal lover
Come once again and love me.
Please come back and love me again
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Traditional
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