Scarborough fair
Simon and Garfuncal 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 (in the deep forest green)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
(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
"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad that became popular in the 1960s when Simon and Garfunkel released their rendition of the song. The lyrics are often open to interpretation, but one likely explanation is that the song depicts a man asking a former lover to perform a series of impossible tasks as proof of her love for him.
The first verse asks "Are you going to Scarborough Fair?" which is likely a reference to an annual fair that took place in Scarborough, England during the Middle Ages. The man then requests that she remember him to a woman who lives there, who was once his true love.
The subsequent verses are a series of impossible tasks that the man asks of his former lover. He requests that she make him a cambric shirt without seams or needle work, which is an impossible feat. He then asks her to find him an acre of land between the salt water and the sea strands, another impossible task. He goes on to request that she reap the land with a sickle of leather and gather it all in a bunch of heather. These tasks are all difficult, if not impossible, to perform.
The song ends with the repeated refrain of the first verse, suggesting that the man may never see his former love again.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Are you willing to undertake a journey without guarantees or assurances?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
The singer lists these herbs as they have symbolic meaning and as such they represent the different stages of a relationship. Parsley for bitter feelings, sage for wisdom, rosemary for love and thyme for courage.
Remember me to one who lives there
When you reach your destination, convey my best wishes to someone I know.
She once was a true love of mine
I once had a romantic relationship with this person, and I hope that remembering me will bring back happy memories of our past love.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (in the deep forest green)
Please request that she make me a shirt made of high-quality white linen, dyed in the deep forest green color.
Without no seams nor needle work
I want the shirt to be made without any visible stitch marks or any other imperfections.
Then she'll be a true love of mine
If she goes to the trouble of making me such a perfect shirt, it will show that she still cares deeply for me.
(Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground)
I want her to embellish the shirt with small details such as the image of a sparrow tracing its way across the snow-crested ground.
(Bedclothes the child of the mountain)
I want the shirt to evoke the natural world and reflect the purity of the mountains.
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Wearing this shirt will fill me with a sense of calm that deafens me to the noise of the outside world.
Tell her to find me an acre of land
Please ask her to find a plot of land that I can call my own, and on which I can build my future.
(A sprinkling of leaves)
The land should be surrounded by the beauty of nature, with the leaves that fall around it symbolizing the cycle of life and renewal.
(Washes the grave with silvery tears)
Here the role of nature is apparent again, they might symbolize the tears of mourners, especially as they water flowers left on a grave by a loved one.
(And polishes a gun)
The reference to a gun suggests that the land in this section is entwined with warfare, whether it be from historical conflict or somewhat paradoxically, land ownership.
Then she'll be a true love of mine
By doing this for me, she will cement her place in my heart forever.
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
I want her to harvest my plot of land with special care, using a tool that is as iconic and timeless as it is gentle: a sickle made of leather.
(Blazing in scarlet battalions)
The sight of her reaping the field in this way is bringing to mind the image of an army of soldiers in red, marching as if to war.
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
The sound of sickle cutting through the crops seems to take on the noise of war orders, although couched in peaceful terms.
(A cause they've long ago forgotten)
Aside from the noise of warfare, the section is also imbued with a sense of futility and fading memories as if the war was long ago, it's reasons all but forgotten.
And gather it all in a bunch of heather
Once harvested, I want the crop of heather gathered together in a single, beautiful bunch. This must be done with skill and precision, as it will be a symbol of my new life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Arthur Garfunkel, Paul Simon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind