Simon, Paul—Scarborough Fair

(Lyrics are included in the video)

I am well aware that the original song was written long ago in England and that there are much older versions of this song, closer to the original, to be found elsewhere.. However I feel that the Simon and Garfunkel version deserves to be regarded as a very poetic rendering of the song in its own right. Here it is combined with the lyrics of another song and accompanied by the music and singing of both these artists.

The Wikipedia article below explains some of the ongoing evolution of this enchanting song.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_Fair_(ballad)

Something closer to the original (anonymous) version of the lyrics is below:

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to one who lives there,
For once she was a true lover of mine

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Without a seam or needlework,
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Where never spring water or rain ever fell,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.

Now he has asked me questions three,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
I hope he’ll answer as many for me
Before he shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Between the salt water and the sea sand,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell him to plough it with a ram’s horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
And sow it all over with one pepper corn,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell him to sheer’t with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
And bind it up with a peacock feather.
And he shall be a true lover of mine.

Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
And never let one corn of it fall,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.

When he has done and finished his work.
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme:
Oh, tell him to come and he’ll have his shirt,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.

Anonymous (British)

There are many versions of this ballad.
Above video is the song version of Simon and Garfunkel