Roger Whittaker (born Roger Henry Brough Whittaker in Nairobi, Kenya, on 22… Read Full Bio ↴Roger Whittaker (born Roger Henry Brough Whittaker in Nairobi, Kenya, on 22 March 1936; died 13 September 2023 ) was a British singer-songwriter and musician remembered for his eclectic mix of folk music and popular song, his baritone singing voice, and his trademark whistling skills.

He became widely known for his version of "Wind Beneath My Wings" (1982), as well as his own compositions "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in If Anymore" (1970), his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell" (his only single to hit the US Billboard Hot 100, making it to the Top 20).

Whittakers first chart success came in 1969 when "Durham Town (The Leavin')" was his first UK Top 20 hit. In 1970 came two follow-up hits, "I Don't Believe In If Anymore" (Top 10) and "New World In The Morning" (Top 20), and 1971 brought two smaller hit singles "Why" and "Mamy Blue".

Whittaker was absent from the UK singles chart until 1975, when "The Last Farewell" went Top 3, after which it was another eleven years until "Skye Boat Song" returned him to the Top 10 of the singles chart.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German language songs produced by Nick Munro (unable to speak German at that time, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically). In time he became more fluent in German and sang and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. Whittaker retired from touring in 2013.

Scarborough Fair / Canticle
Roger Whittaker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

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

Have her make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Without no seam nor fine needle work

And then she'll be a true love of mine

Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
And gather it all with a basket of flowers
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Have her wash it in yonder dry well
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Have her find me an acre of land
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Between the sea foam and over the sand
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Plow the land with the horn of a lamb
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Then sow some seeds from north of the dam
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 gather it all in a bunch of heather
And then she'll be a true love of mine

If she tells me she can't, I'll reply
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Let me know that at least she will try
And then she'll be a true love of mine

Love imposes impossible tasks
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
Though not more than any heart asks
And I must know she's a true love of mine

Dear, when thou has finished thy task
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

Come to me, my hand for to ask
For thou then art a true love of mine

Overall Meaning

The song Scarborough Fair / Canticle is essentially a ballad, telling a story of a young man asking his lover to perform impossible tasks so that she can prove to him that she is a true lover. The song is a rendition of an old English folk song, and the lyrics are rich with symbolism. The herbs parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme are mentioned repeatedly in the song and are used as a metaphor for different emotional states. Parsley represents bitterness, sage represents strength, rosemary represents love, and thyme represents courage. The use of herbs as metaphors is further highlighted by the fact that they were commonly used in medieval medicine and were believed to have healing properties.

The young man asks his lover to perform several impossible tasks, such as weaving a cambric shirt without any seams or gather an acre of land between the sea foam and the sand. These tasks are meant to be impossible to accomplish, and the young man knows that his lover will struggle with them. However, he also knows that if she is truly his true love, she will rise to the challenge and prove it to him.

Line by Line Meaning

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Will you be attending Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
These herbs are mentioned in order to create a serious and ritualistic tone, and as a symbol of love and commitment.

Remember me to one who lives there
Say hello to the person who lives there on my behalf.

For once she was a true love of mine
Once upon a time, she was my true love.

Have her make me a cambric shirt
Ask her to make me a shirt from cambric fabric.

Without no seam nor fine needle work
Ensure that there are no seams or fine needle work in the shirt.

And then she'll be a true love of mine
Once the shirt is made, she will become my true love once again.

Tell her to weave it in a sycamore wood lane
Instruct her to weave the shirt in a sycamore wood lane.

And gather it all with a basket of flowers
Collect the shirt with a basket of flowers.

Have her wash it in yonder dry well
Wash the shirt in a dry well where there is no source of water.

where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell
This is repeated to emphasize that there should be no water source.

And then she'll be a true love of mine
Once the shirt is washed, she will become my true love again.

Have her find me an acre of land
Ask her to find me an acre of land.

Between the sea foam and over the sand
It should be located between the sea foam and sand.

Plow the land with the horn of a lamb
Use the horn of a lamb to plow the land.

Then sow some seeds from north of the dam
Sow some seeds from the north side of the dam.

And then she'll be a true love of mine
Once the land is plowed and the seeds are sown, she will become my true love again.

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
Reap the crops with a sickle made of leather.

And gather it all in a bunch of heather
Gather the crops in a bunch of heather.

And then she'll be a true love of mine
Once the crops are gathered, she will become my true love again.

If she tells me she can't, I'll reply
If she tells me she cannot do it, I will say:

Let me know that at least she will try
At the very least, tell me she will attempt it.

Love imposes impossible tasks
Love often asks impossible things from us.

Though not more than any heart asks
However, these tasks are not more than what any heart desires.

And I must know she's a true love of mine
I want to know that she is truly my love.

Dear, when thou has finished thy task
My dear, once you have completed your task,

Come to me, my hand for to ask
come to me and ask for my hand

For thou then art a true love of mine
At that point, you will truly be my love again.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ARTHUR GARFUNKEL, PAUL SIMON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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