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
Roger Whittaker Lyrics

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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 (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green).
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground).
Without no seams nor needlework (Blankets and 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 (On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves).
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Washes the ground with so many tears).
Between the salt water and the sea strand (A soldier cleans and polishes a gun).
Then she'll be a true love of mine. (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call).

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather (War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions).
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill).
And to 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.

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.

Overall Meaning

Scarborough Fair is a traditional English ballad that has been popular for generations. The song is a dialogue between two former lovers who had parted ways, each outlining a series of impossible tasks that the other must fulfill if they want to be reunited. The refrain "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" is repeated throughout the song and has become as popular as the song itself. Each herb is said to have a specific symbolic meaning: parsley represents comfort, sage for strength, rosemary for love and loyalty, and thyme for courage and bravery.

In the first verse, the singer asks if the listener is going to Scarborough Fair and requests that they pass along a message to his former lover who lives there. He expresses that she was once a true love of his. In the subsequent verses, he gives her impossible tasks to complete that display her love for him. The tasks become increasingly challenging, such as making him a shirt without seams or needlework or finding him an acre of land between the saltwater and the sea strand. Ultimately, the singer hopes that by completing these tasks, his former lover will prove her love for him and they will be reunited.

Line by Line Meaning

Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Asking if you are attending the Scarborough Fair while mentioning the common herbs associated with the fair.

Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine.
Passing on a message to someone he used to love who currently resides in Scarborough.

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (On the side of a hill in the deep forest green).
Requesting the person in Scarborough to make him a shirt out of high-quality linen while describing the setting as a peaceful and natural environment.

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground).
Mentioning the herbs again, this time while observing a sparrow on snowy ground.

Without no seams nor needlework (Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain).
Asking for the shirt to not have any seams or stitches while comparing it to the unrefined garments of a mountaineer.

Then she'll be a true love of mine (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call).
Implying that making the shirt would win the person in Scarborough's affection and mentioning the sound of a military trumpet in the distance.

Tell her to find me an acre of land (On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves).
Asking for the person in Scarborough to obtain some land for him while describing the location as a hill sprinkled with leaves.

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Washes the ground with so many tears).
Mentioning the herbs again, this time while invoking a sense of sadness and loss.

Between the salt water and the sea strand (A soldier cleans and polishes a gun).
Describing the location of the newly acquired land as being between the sea and the coastline while mentioning a soldier cleaning his weapon.

Then she'll be a true love of mine. (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call).
Suggesting that attaining the land would win the person in Scarborough's affection and referencing the military trumpet heard in the distance.

Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather (War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions).
Instructing the person in Scarborough to harvest the land using a leather sickle while alluding to the brutality of war.

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill).
Mentioning the herbs again, this time while referencing the harsh reality of war and the orders of military generals.

And to gather it all in a bunch of heather (And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten).
Instructing the person in Scarborough to gather the harvest in a bundle of heather while mentioning the loss of purpose in soldiers fighting in a war.

Then she'll be a true love of mine.
Implying that completing these tasks would win the person in Scarborough's affection.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Repeating the opening lines, possibly to emphasize the importance of the message and their own yearning to attend the Scarborough Fair.

Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine.
Ending the song by reiterating the message being passed on to the person in Scarborough.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HAYLEY WESTENRA, NICK INGMAN, NICK PATRICK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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