He began performing with his schoolfriend Art Garfunkel in 1956; together the two came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. The duo's blend of folk and rock music in hits like "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America", and "The Boxer" served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their career together peaked with their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water (1970), at one point the best-selling album of all time. Throughout his subsequent solo career, Simon has continued to explore an eclectic mixture of genres, including gospel, reggae, soul, and more. His celebrated 1970s output—comprising Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)—kept him in the public spotlight and saw critical and commercial acclaim, spawning the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover".
Across his life, Simon has intermittently reunited with Garfunkel for several tours, including the famed Concert in Central Park. The widely lauded Graceland (1986) became Simon's biggest album of his career, melding his rock sound with worldbeat flavors; its single "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's top hits. A sequel of sorts, The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), preceded his own successful Concert in the Park, attended by a half-million fans. That decade, Simon focused his energies on a Broadway musical The Capeman (1997), which was poorly received. In the first quarter of the next century, Simon continued to record and tour; his later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011), and Stranger to Stranger (2016), have introduced him to new generations. He retired from touring in 2018. His most recent work, Seven Psalms, will see release in May 2023.
Simon is among the most acclaimed musicians and songwriters in popular music, and one of the world's best-selling music artists, both for his solo work and with Garfunkel. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, have seen induction into National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress crowned him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit that provides medical care to children.
In an in-depth interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Simon discusses the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon. In the interview, Simon explains the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary (as well as the overarching messages of religion, spirituality and God in his lyrics). Simon explains the process of how he goes about writing songs in the interview: "The music always precedes the words. The words often come from the sound of the music and eventually evolve into coherent thoughts. Or incoherent thoughts. Rhythm plays a crucial part in the lyric-making as well. It's like a puzzle to find the right words to express what the music is saying."
Scarborough Fair
Paul Simon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Without no seams nor needlework
Tell her to find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
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
She once was a true love of mine
The lyrics to Scarborough Fair are evocative and mysterious, with their references to folk herbs and obscure requests for clothing and land ownership. The song appears to be a conversation between two people, with the first speaker asking the second if they are going to Scarborough Fair, a popular event in medieval England. The second speaker responds with a series of requests for the first to pass along to a former lover who lives in Scarborough.
These requests are curious in their specificity – the former lover is asked to make a cambric shirt without seams or needlework, to find an acre of land between the salt water and the sea strand, and to reap the land with a sickle of leather and gather it in a bunch of heather. These requests seem to be impossible tasks, and yet they are presented as the conditions for the former lover to be considered a true love of the singer.
The song is haunting in its simplicity, and the addition of the traditional melody and harmonies make it a memorable piece of folk music. Some have interpreted the lyrics as a series of tests for the former lover to prove her devotion, while others view the requests as symbolic of different virtues or strengths. Whatever the interpretation, Scarborough Fair remains a classic piece of folk music that continues to intrigue and captivate listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Are you planning to visit the Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
These are the ingredients of the recipe I am about to tell you.
Remember me to one who lives there
Please give my regards to someone who is living there.
She once was a true love of mine
She used to be my lover.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Ask her to sew a fine, delicate fabric shirt for me.
Without no seams nor needlework
Without any stitches, seams, or needlework.
Then she'll be a true love of mine
If she does this for me, I will love her forever.
Tell her to find me an acre of land
Ask her to find a piece of land that is one acre in size.
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Somewhere near the ocean or seashore.
Then she'll be a true love of mine
If she finds this land for me, I will love her forever.
Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
Instruct her to cut the crops using a sickle that has a leather handle.
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
To collect everything in a bunch of heather plants.
Then she'll be a true love of mine
If she does this for me, I will love her forever.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Are you planning to visit the Scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
These are the ingredients of the recipe I am about to tell you.
Remember me to one who lives there
Please give my regards to someone who is living there.
She once was a true love of mine
She used to be my lover.
Contributed by Julia P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bernardputersznit64
Lyrics
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needle work
(Bedclothes the child of the mountain)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land
(A sprinkling of leaves)
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strands
(And polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(Blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
(A cause they've long ago forgotten)
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
She once was a true love of mine
@hopper__
[Verse 1]
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
[Verse 2]
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground
Without no seams nor needle work
Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Sleeps unaware of the clarion call
[Verse 3]
Tell her to find me an acre of land
On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Washes the grave with silvery tears
Between the salt water and the sea strands
A soldier cleans and polishes a gun
Then she'll be a true love of mine
[Verse 4]
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Generals order their soldiers to kill
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten
Then she'll be a true love of mine
[Verse 5]
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
@jimmykjazz
When I was in Vietnam, this music helped me survive.
@jennymulhall816
I can’t imagine how surreal it must have been to listen to such beautiful music in the midst of what you lived through.
My own nation was not involved, so I don’t know anyone who was there, but what I have seen on the television leads me to be glad that you are still here, and enjoying good music.
I wish you well, Sir. ❤
@marcospadilla1793
🙏🏾💪🏽
@justinmikulenka9588
Thank you for sharing that,.. and for your undeniable courage 🙏
@40173k
God. That really got me.
@samanthaannbevens8612
Ty so much for your service.
@martinfidler9889
As a teenager my father suggested we watch The Graduate, we did and the music of S & G just blew me away. My father died two years ago today and I am listening to Scarborough Fair and thinking of him with tears in my eyes. Thanks Dad for all those things that you got right. I miss you..
@oscarcanero3460
Beautiful words
@frankcascioli9289
And with that, tears now in my eyes...
@deborahchesser7375
@@frankcascioli9289mine as well