Traditional music is an umbrella term for all folk music that has made it d… Read Full Bio ↴Traditional music is an umbrella term for all folk music that has made it down the generations largely thanks to oral tradition. The obscure and random inception of such songs means that the original author(s) of the song is rarely documented. Rather, the song by time becomes part of a country's or ethnic group's canon of folk songs, usually sung by groups of people performing a custom particular to their culture (ex. pub songs, sea shanties, football anthems, lullabies, children's songs, working songs, dancing tunes etc..).

Countless musicians have performed and re-injected life into traditional songs with examples ranging from Thin Lizzy's (and later Metallica's) Whiskey in a Jar (traditional Irish song) to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's latest collaboration Among The Gold.

"Traditional" should not be used for the artist name, if the real name of the performing artist or group is known. Rather it should be used for the writer/composer, if they are unknown. The MusicBrainz style guidelines can give you an orientation for better tagging: https://musicbrainz.org/doc/Style/Unknown_and_untitled/Special_purpose_artist

Scarborough fair
Traditional Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(both)
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me to one who lives there,
For she once was a true love of mine.

(man)
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without any seam nor needlework,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

Ask her to do me this courtesy,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And ask for a like favour from me,
And then she'll be a true love of mine.

(both)
Have you been to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Remember me from one who lives there,
For he once was a true love of mine.

(woman)
Ask him to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea-sand,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to plough it with a lamb's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And gather it up with a rope made of heather,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

When he has done and finished his work,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Ask him to come for his cambric shirt,
For then he'll be a true love of mine.

(both)
If you say that you can't, then I shall reply,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Oh, Let me know that at least you will try,
Or you'll never be a true love of mine.

Love imposes impossible tasks,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,

But none more than any heart would ask,
I must know you're a true love of mine.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the traditional song Scarborough Fair are a conversation between two former lovers who are giving each other impossible tasks to win back their love. The man asks the woman to make him a cambric shirt without any seams or needlework, and to wash it in a dry well that never runs out of water. He also asks her to dry it on a thorn that has never bloomed, and to perform this task as a favor to him. The woman then requests that the man find her an acre of land between the sea and the saltwater, plough it with a lamb's horn, sow it with a single peppercorn, and then reap it with a sickle of leather before gathering it up with a heather rope. She also requests that he do this as a courtesy to her. The chorus emphasizes the theme of impossible tasks and acknowledges that love demands a lot from one another.

There are different interpretations of the lyrics for Scarborough Fair, but many agree that it could be a song about a long-distance relationship or a song about a fair where young people would meet and fall in love. The use of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme in the song has a symbolic meaning, where each herb represents a value or theme. Parsley represents comfort, sage represents strength, rosemary represents remembrance, and thyme represents courage. The song became popular in the 1960s when it was recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, but it has been recorded by various artists in different genres.

Line by Line Meaning

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Asking the person if they plan on attending the fair in Scarborough

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
The herbs mentioned in the song that serve as a motif

Remember me to one who lives there,
Sending greetings to someone who lives in Scarborough

For she once was a true love of mine.
Hinting at the singer's past love life involving someone from Scarborough

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Asking the person in Scarborough to sew a specific type of shirt for the singer

Without any seam nor needlework,
Asking the shirt to be made without seams or stitching

And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Implying that if the person fulfills this request, they will earn the love of the singer

Tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Asking the person to wash the shirt in a non-traditional location (a dry well)

Which never sprung water nor rain ever fell,
Describing the well as being dry for years and never having natural water sources

And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Again, suggesting that fulfilling this unconventional request will earn the singer's love

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Asking the person to dry the shirt on a specific, unconventional object (a thorn)

Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
Describing the thorn as never producing flowers since the beginning of time

And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Reiterating that if the person completes the task, they will earn the love of the singer

Ask her to do me this courtesy,
Politely requesting the person to perform the task

And ask for a like favour from me,
Offering to do something in return for the task performed

And then she'll be a true love of mine.
Stating that the completion of the task and the exchange must occur in order for the person to earn the singer's love

Have you been to Scarborough Fair?
Asking if the person has already visited the fair in Scarborough

Remember me from one who lives there,
Asking the person to pass on a message to someone in Scarborough from the singer

For he once was a true love of mine.
Implying that the singer had a love interest in Scarborough who was male

Ask him to find me an acre of land,
Asking the person in Scarborough to find a specific amount of land for the singer

Between the salt water and the sea-sand,
Describing the precise location of the land the singer wants

For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Expressing that if the person finds the land, they will earn the singer's love

Ask him to plough it with a lamb's horn,
Asking the person in Scarborough to use an unconventional object as a plough

And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
Requesting to sow the entire piece of land with a single peppercorn

For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Continuing to imply that completing the task will earn the person the singer's love

Ask him to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Asking the person to harvest the land with an uncommon tool - a leather sickle

And gather it up with a rope made of heather,
Requesting to use a specific type of rope to collect the harvest from the land

For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Suggesting the completion of all the tasks will ensure the person earns the singer's love

When he has done and finished his work,
Once the person has completed all of the tasks requested

Ask him to come for his cambric shirt,
Asking the person to come to the singer in order to receive the previously requested shirt

For then he'll be a true love of mine.
Reiterating that once all the tasks and errands have been accomplished, the person will earn the singer's affection

If you say that you can't, then I shall reply,
Trying to persuade someone to fulfill the requests, despite their perceived difficulty

Oh, Let me know that at least you will try,
Asking the person to attempt to complete the tasks, even if unable to fully achieve them

Or you'll never be a true love of mine.
Stating that the person will not earn the singer's love if they fail to attempt the errands

Love imposes impossible tasks,
Acknowledging the difficulty of what was asked

But none more than any heart would ask,
Implying that true love may involve difficult or even impossible tasks

I must know you're a true love of mine.
Concluding the song by emphasizing the importance of the tasks for the singer to know if the person is a true love of theirs.

Contributed by Jordan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS