Scarborough Fair (ballad)

This is an old song from England.

The song asks for impossible tasks. A man asks for a shirt with no seams. A woman asks for land by the sea. These tasks are hard to do.

Many people sing this song. Some sing it with herbs like sage and thyme. It has many different tunes.

Famous singers like Simon & Garfunkel sang it too. They made it very well known. It is a song people still love today.

Scarborough Fair is a famous old song from England.

The man asks for a cambric shirt, which is a fine cloth shirt. He says it must have no seams and no needlework. He also asks for it to be dried on a thorn. This thorn must never have grown a flower. The woman gives tasks back to the man. She asks him to find land between the sea foam and the sand. She asks him to plow it with a ram's horn. She also asks him to sow it with one peppercorn.

Many people have sung this song for a long time. Some versions use the words "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme." These are names of herbs. A famous duo called Simon & Garfunkel made the song very well known in 1966. They learned their version from a singer named Martin Carthy. The song is still loved by many musicians today.

Scarborough Fair is a famous traditional ballad from Northern England. A ballad is a song that tells a story through its lyrics. This specific song is about two former lovers who exchange difficult requests. They give each other tasks that are impossible to finish. The man asks for a cambric shirt made of fine cloth. He says it must have no seams and no needlework. He also wants it dried on a thorn that never grew a flower.

The woman responds with her own list of impossible jobs. She asks the man to find land between the sea foam and the sand. He must plow this land using only a ram's horn. He must also sow the ground with a single peppercorn. She asks him to reap the crop with a sickle made of leather. Finally, he must tie it all up with a peacock's feather. These tasks show the playful but difficult nature of their bond.

This song has a very long history. Some versions of the story are linked to a Scottish ballad called "The Elfin Knight." That older version dates back as far as 1670. In that story, an elf tries to take a woman away. She responds by giving the elf impossible tasks to complete. By the end of the 1700s, dozens of different versions of the song existed. Some versions even used different place names instead of Scarborough.

Many different people have kept this song alive through the years. In 1947, Ewan MacColl collected a melody from a retired miner named Mark Anderson. Frank Kidson published a version in 1891 from Whitby. In 1966, the famous duo Simon & Garfunkel released a very popular version. They learned their arrangement from the singer Martin Carthy. Their version was even used in the movie The Graduate in 1968.

Today, you can hear this song in many different styles of music. It has been sung by folk singers and even metal bands. It has appeared in video games like Civilization VI. In that game, the song serves as a theme for the English civilization. Some people even use the melody for other songs, like Bob Dylan's "Girl from the North Country." Whether it is played on a guitar or by a full orchestra, the song remains a classic.

Scarborough Fair is a famous traditional ballad from Northern England. A ballad is a type of song that tells a story through its lyrics. This specific song is a folk song about two former lovers. They communicate through a series of impossible tasks. These tasks are meant to be completed if they are to be true lovers again. The song is often remembered for its melodic beauty and its haunting refrains.

The mechanism of the song relies on a back-and-forth exchange of requests. The male singer asks the woman to perform tasks involving fine cloth. He requests a cambric shirt, which is a shirt made of fine linen. He specifies that it must be made without any seam or needlework. He also asks for it to be washed in a dry well. This well must be a place where no water flows and no rain falls. Finally, he asks for it to be dried on a thorn that has never grown a blossom.

The female singer responds with her own set of impossible demands. She asks the man to find an acre of land between the sea foam and the sea sand. He must then plow this land using a ram's horn. After that, he must sow the entire field using only one peppercorn. He is then required to reap the crop with a sickle made of leather. To finish the work, he must tie everything up with a peacock's feather. These tasks create a cycle of impossible requirements for both sides.

This ballad has deep historical roots that stretch back centuries. Some researchers link the lyrics to a Scottish ballad called "The Elfin Knight." This older version is documented as Child Ballad #2 and dates back to 1670. In that version, an elf threatens to abduct a woman unless she performs tasks. By the end of the 18th century, dozens of different versions of the song existed. Many versions used different names for locations, such as Wittingham Fair or Cape Ann. The specific mention of "Scarborough Fair" and the herb refrain became common in the 19th century.

The song has been preserved by many different people through oral and written traditions. In 1891, Frank Kidson published a version he collected from Whitby. In 1947, Ewan MacColl collected a melody from Mark Anderson, a retired lead miner. This specific melody became the foundation for many modern versions. In 1966, the American duo Simon & Garfunkel released a famous arrangement. They learned this version from the singer Martin Carthy. Their version, titled "Scarborough Fair/Canticle," reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Because the song is so flexible, it has been recorded in many musical styles. In the 1950s, Gordon Heath and Lee Payant made the first commercial recording. In the 1960s, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66 created a light jazz and samba version. This version became a hit and was used in the 1973 film "Heavy Traffic." Later, the song was adapted by various genres, including folk-punk and metal. For example, the death-doom metal band My Dying Bride recorded a version in 2009. Even the English death-doom band Leaves' Eyes used the song in 2009.

Scarborough Fair also connects to modern digital media and pop culture. In the video game "Civilization VI," the song serves as the main theme for the English civilization. The composer Geoff Knorr arranged four different variations of the melody. These variations change as the player progresses through different eras of the game. Additionally, the melody has influenced other famous musicians. Bob Dylan used the melody and some lyrics to create his song "Girl from the North Country." This shows how a single traditional ballad can influence music for hundreds of years.