Greensleeves
The Kings Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.
Chorus:
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
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
But my heart remains in captivity.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
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.
Chorus
The song Greensleeves, as recorded by the Kings Singers, features lyrics that revolve around a failed love story that has left the singer feeling heartbroken and alone. In the first stanza, the singer expresses his feelings of betrayal and hurt, pointing out that he has loved his lady for a long time and has always enjoyed her company. He feels wronged and hurt that she has decided to cast him off so rudely after such a long history together.
The chorus of the song, "Greensleeves was all my joy, Greensleeves was my delight, Greensleeves was my heart of gold, And who but my lady greensleeves," essentially serves as a lament for the love that the singer has lost. He makes it clear that his love for this woman was pure and true and it is clear that he is grieving deeply the loss of this relationship. The rest of the song goes on to explore the singer's feelings and the impact that this failed love story has had on his life.
Overall, the song Greensleeves is a poignant and emotional exploration of love, loss, and heartbreak. The lyrics express the deep emotions that come with a failed relationship and the sorrow that can come when one's beloved decides to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
Oh, my dear love, you are hurting me by rejecting me without any courtesy.
To cast me off discourteously.
By abandoning me without showing any respect or politeness.
For I have loved you well and long,
I have been deeply in love with you for a long time.
Delighting in your company.
I always enjoyed being with you.
Chorus: Greensleeves was all my joy
The song Greensleeves was my ultimate source of happiness.
Greensleeves was my delight,
The tune of Greensleeves filled me with great pleasure.
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
The song Greensleeves was as valuable to me as gold.
And who but my lady greensleeves.
Only my love, my lady Greensleeves, could make this song so special to me.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
You broke your promises to me, just like you broke my heart.
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Why did you make me fall in love so deeply if you never intended to keep your promises?
Now I remain in a world apart
I am now living in a different world, separated from you.
But my heart remains in captivity.
But my heart is still held captive by my love for you.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
I have been ready at your hand,
I have always been there for you whenever you needed me.
To grant whatever you would crave,
I was willing to give you anything you wanted.
I have both wagered life and land,
I risked everything, including my life and property.
Your love and good-will for to have.
All I wanted was to be loved by you and to have your affection.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
If you intend thus to disdain,
If you really intend to reject me like this,
It does the more enrapture me,
It only makes me love you more passionately.
And even so, I still remain a lover in captivity.
I am still in love with you and my heart is still held captive by my feelings.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
My men were clothed all in green,
My men were dressed in green, the color that represents love and affection.
And they did ever wait on thee;
They were always present around you, waiting for your command.
All this was gallant to be seen,
All of this was quite impressive and respectful to see.
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
And yet you would not love me in return.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
You did not want anything materialistic.
But still thou hadst it readily.
But even though you didn't want anything, you had everything you could ever ask for.
Thy music still to play and sing;
You still had your music to play and sing,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.
But yet, you did not love me back.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
Well, I will pray to God on high,
I will now pray to God in heaven,
That thou my constancy mayst see,
So that you may see my faithfulness and love for you.
And that yet once before I die,
And I hope that before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.
You will finally give me the love that I have been craving for all this time.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
Goodbye now, Greensleeves.
To God I pray to prosper thee,
I pray to God to bless you and make you prosper.
For I am still thy lover true,
Because I am still your true and faithful lover.
Come once again and love me.
Please come back to me and return my love.
Chorus
The chorus repeats the importance of Greensleeves in his life.
Contributed by Molly S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Ruarch
Greensleeves Lyrics for this version:
Alas, my love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously
And I have loveth you so long
Delighting in your company
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my lady greensleeves
I have been ever 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
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
@ryzvonusef
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously.
And I have loved you oh so long,
Delighting in your company.
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.
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.
@qwertyTRiG
xxsam Isn't þe Early Modern English, or at most Middle English? I'm fairly certain it's not Old English.
Ye also exists, as a separate word (not just as a printer's convention for þe), but it means you in the object form:
I, me, my, mine
thou, thee, thy, thine
he, him, his, his
she, her, her, hers
it, it, its, its
we, us, our, ours
you, ye, your, yours
they, them, their, theirs
@Afroninja10000
Still listening to this is 2023 ❤️ Such a beautiful rendition.
@ilzerozkalne2472
2024 :)
@TheIgor1945
Friendzone in Renaissance times
@zerogbot23
Greensleeves: I think of thou as my brother
Knight: Curses, I wouldest rather have been afflicted by thy plague
@whoremongeringass-wipe5733
@@zerogbot23 Plague? Tis' but a scratch.
@devonwalter6053
Scott Dixon the plague makes so bold to call for ‘tis it’s limited service.
@ACrimsonPhoenix
The original was an English folk song initially known as "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" written in late 1580 which is found in various late 16th and early 17th century sources. Renaissance would be a more accurate description.
@ziogustav
AHAHAHAHAH
@jankoznar8591
The most beautiful version of Greensleeves :)
@shay5609
I agree