"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional English ballad written about Scarborough, a town in Yorkshire, England. It is believed to have been adapted from a 17th century balled called "The Elfin Knight", having seen many iterations with lyrical changes over the centuries since. The song was modernized by American duo Simon & Garfunkel in 1966, who released a re-written version of the song as "Scarborough Fair / Canticle" on their 1968 studio album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It was later released as a single for the duo's soundtrack of the 1968 film, The Graduate.
Cover version[]
Lana Del Rey would perform a shortened version of the Simon & Garfunkel adaptation of the song on various dates during her LA to the Moon Tour and Norman Fucking Rockwell Tour. It served as an outro to "Cherry", a song that features some lyrical similarities to the Simon & Garfunkel version of the ballad. The track was first performed live on January 5, 2018, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Lyrics[]
Traditional version[]
"O, where are you going?" "To Scarborough Fair"
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
"Remember me to a lass who lives there
For once she was a true love of mine
"And tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
Without any seam or needlework
And then she shall be a true love of mine
"And tell her to wash it in yonder dry well
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
Where no water sprung nor a drop of rain fell
And then she shall be a true love of mine
"Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born
And then she shall be a true love of mine
"O, will you find me an acre of land?
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
Between the sea foam, the sea sand
Or never be a true lover of mine
"O, will you plow it with a ram's horn?
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
And sow it all over with one peppercorn
Or never be a true lover of mine
"O, will you reap it with a sickle of leather?
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
And tie it all up with a peacock's feather
Or never be a true lover of mine
"And when you have done and finished your work
Savory sage, rosemary, and thyme
You may come to me for your cambric shirt
And then you shall be a true lover of mine"
"Scarborough Fair / Canticle" version[]
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 of 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 grave with silvery tears)
Between the saltwater and the sea strands
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather
(War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And 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