Simon & Garfunkel - Scarborough Fair REACTION!

[@tnetroP]

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs ever sung.

[@racinnut77]

Scarborough Fair is a *very* old English song. Canticle was written by Paul Simon. The two songs are being sung at the same time to form a counterpoint which is also a very old traditional method of song.

[@SouthernArtist77]

I’ve heard this song since I was a child and I never knew all the lyrics, thanks for sharing the background. The song is hauntingly beautiful, now I know why.

[@deannacrownover3]

You could call this one of the very first remixes! They took an extremely old traditional song and under wrote an anti-war song. It was during Vietnam.

[@perrylord1622]

I never knew this...thank you, ❤️

[@danielbruns7055]

Thank you for that info. A song that has always given me the chills.

[@martinwood744]

Kind of like Bing Crosby's and David Bowie's fusing together of "Little Drummer Boy" and "Peace on Earth". A lot of people don't realise they're two different songs.

[@GBeret83]

And God said, "Let there be 2-part harmony", and behold there was Simon and Garfunkel.

[@SouthernArtist77]

GBeret83 And let the church say AMEN!

[@BigFitzy]

And God saw (heard) that it was good.

[@margaretrees8662]

Excellent

[@secr202484]

It was popular during the height of the Viet Nam war. I sense two stories intertwining - the soldier's yearning for his love and his description of a battleground. One senses this love will remain forever unrequited. It is possible that this is sung by a dead soldier's ghost, so the tasks he gives his love are as impossible as their being reunited is. (She's to find an acre of land between the sea and the sand...impossible. She's to make a shirt with no seams or needlework, and she's to use a sickle made of leather to work the land - impossible.)

[@SouthernArtist77]

secr202484 Well done, 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@richardpowell1220]

secr202484, It's a fascinating song. The two stories mesh so well musically in =counterpoint, but they are so different. One ancient. One modern. On traditional. The other a Paul Simon song. One about lovers trying to get together, almost a playful tease. The other about a soldier going off to war. I love your idea about the dead soldier's ghost. It makes it all fit.

[@WolfStarbuck]

Actually... he's a soldier dying. He's requesting that she prepare him for his burial, and find him a suitable resting place.

[@Freebirde7]

A shirt with no seams - a shroud. Acre between sand and sea - between this world and the next. Sickle of leather - calvary charge cutting down soldiers. Also, the lover could be war itself.

[@margaretrees8662]

Wow so much going on!!!

[@sharmullins3894]

It's a traditional English Ballad. Late Middle Ages.

[@Serai3]

Half of it is. The other half, "Canticle", was written by Paul Simon as a topical counterpoint.

[@wirebrushproductions1001]

Actually, he wrote "Canticle" completely independently, then later combined the two.

[@jaimegarcia6114]

One of the things I enjoy about your reactions is that you choose all kinds of music. I grew up in the 70's so many of the tunes you react to are the soundtrack of my life. Thank you for that.

[@watcherwlc53]

second that

[@fossy4321]

@@watcherwlc53 Yep I third that.

[@Isleofskye]

Enjoyed your reaction. There was a market created in Scarborough as decreed by King Henry 111 (3rd ) in the year 1253 over 700 years ago for merchants and traders. Paul Simon visited England in 1965 with Art Garfunkel and met Martin Carthy who introduced them to this ballad of The English Middle Ages. True Love might require making impossible and only if it is The True Love the impossible things could be somehow made. In the refrain there are 4 herbs mentioned: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. In the medieval times herbs had much more significant meaning than now (flower language for example) and it might be so that the singer talks in such a way respectively about happiness (as an absence of “sadness, bitterness”), strength, love and bravery.,,,,,,

[@janoshunyadi2]

The song certainly dates back to 1670, but to suggest it's a medieval song is speculation. It could have been based on earlier, medieval, songs.

[@Isleofskye]

You are right. I see the Medieval period seems to end in 1453. I was talking about the Fair having just read that. Nobody really knows about the time of the origins :)

[@denisbriggs2992]

Bob Dylan also heard the song in folk clubs during the 60s when he came to the UK to take part in a radio play. He took it changed the words to Americanise it and called it "Girl of the North Country"

[@michaelgrabner8977]

Originally "Scarbourough Fair" is an old english traditional from the 16th century..it has 11 strophes ..4 sung by the man + 4 sung by the woman + 3 sung together..and it´s about an former love couple who is challenging each other in order to find back together again.. And by the way Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme..had a symbolic meaning in early days (=medi eval times and Renaissance) which is nowadays long forgotten... "Parsley" stood for "Removing Bitterness" "Sage" stood for as a "Symbol for Strength" "Rosemary" stood for "Loyalty, Love and Memory" "Thyme" stood for "Courage" Knights for instance had very often a Thyme plant and/or a Sage plant painted on their shield respectively it was part of their heraldic sign anyway. So all those herbs were therefore then also ingrediants for "love potions" back then as well.

[@janoshunyadi2]

The reference to Scarborough Fair was only introduced in the 19th century, though the song is much older. It has commonalities with the Scottish balled 'The Elfin Knight' which has been traced back as far as 1670.

[@tulifuli]

Rosemary is for remembrance. It's mentioned in Ophelia' speech ( Shakespeare Hamlet). Modern herbalists still say it enhances the memory .

[@michaelgrabner8977]

@@tulifuli Ophelia:There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that's for thoughts.

[@carolynjanesutton4932]

Brilliant info, thanks!

[@jmleaf8102]

Hi, Are any of you Faire Folk? Peace

[@victoria2050nin]

They do not make songs so beautifully sung, played and produced anymore!

[@Matchaification]

"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional English ballad. The song lists a number of impossible tasks given to a former lover who lives in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. The melody is in Dorian mode and is very typical of the middle English period. The lyrics of "Scarborough Fair" appear to have something in common with a Scottish ballad titled "The Elfin Knight" (Child Ballad ), collected by Francis James Child,g which has been traced as far back as 1670. In this ballad, an elf threatens to abduct a young woman to be his lover unless she can perform an impossible task ("For thou must shape a sark to me / Without any cut or heme, quoth he"); she responds with a list of tasks that he must first perform ("I have an aiker of good ley-land / Which lyeth low by yon sea-strand"). Dozens of versions existed by the end of the 18th century. A number of older versions refer to locations other than Scarborough Fair, including Wittingham Fair, Cape Ann, "twixt Berwik and Lyne", etc. Many versions do not mention a place-name and are often generically titled ("The Lovers' Tasks", "My Father Gave Me an Acre of Land", etc.). The references to the traditional English fair, "Scarborough Fair" and the refrain "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" date to 19th century versions and the refrain may have been borrowed from the ballad Riddles Wisely Expounded, (Child Ballad ), which has a similar plot.

[@SirWrecksy]

hey you going to the fair this year? yeah well I'm off to battle, probably won't return...tell her I loved her

[@jonathanmaybury5698]

That is basically the gist of it, tell her to buy an acre of land for his burial for he knows he is going to his death.

[@patskar4977]

Never understood this song but it always took my breath away. It stirs something deep in me. Simon and Garfunkel were magical.

[@davem.2191]

Beautiful song. Some of their finest work.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

This is one of the most beautiful song ever created. "Remember me to one who lives there. She once was the true love of mine..."

[@lindajohnson1623]

So glad to see someone young open themselves to music.....all music. Music is a healer sweetie, let it be a go to for you when the world gets sour on you. Love and light.

[@helenespaulding9372]

I played this album to death when I was a freshman in college. Their harmony is exquisite......so delicate....This is truly one of the favorite songs of my life, because of its sheer beauty and because of the canticle form......I wish more young people could hear their music. So damn beUtiful, and often with piercing, haunting lyrics.

[@michaelconverse5127]

I discovered them in about 1987-88 when I was 12. One of my favorite songs of all Time.

[@jamesbutler174]

Medieval Times song, very very old. 1500s or 1600s. It is about never having "the true love of mine". The tasks are impossible, like a plot of land between the sea and the sand. Or a sickle made of leather.

[@michaelgrabner8977]

15th century is not "medi eval times" anymore ...just saying..that time period is already called "Renaissance"...and the song might be from the 16th or 17th century but nobody is sure about the actual dating because the author/songwriter is unknown..

[@t.j.payeur5331]

Exactly...he's dumping his old girlfriend..."When you can do This, then you'll be a true love of mine"...never..

[@janoshunyadi2]

The song has been traced back to 1670. It could be older, but there is no evidence for that.

[@nikkiparksy]

@@janoshunyadi2 I am not a 100 percent sure but, i remember seeing a 14th-century plaque.That was in a church, not sure if it was Great Barugh or Little Barugh , where some of the song's Lyric's were written down as a memorial to some one important .That is about 20 mile's from Scarborough. Plus it is commonly used in Elizabethan Banquet's and said to be a very old song for that era .

[@johnlewis9158]

There are only a handful of people alive today who understand a word of this song as it was originally written in old English

[@creinicke1000]

Obviously an old British song.. it's been around forever.. the voices of Simon and G. Bring magic to it.

[@richardmartin9565]

This song reminds me of how much slower life was back then...we actually spent time "groovin'" It also reminds me of the diversity or variety of musical styles of the era.

[@taun856]

Paul Simon was not just a songwriter, He was/is a true poet - so rare in today's music...

[@heliotropezzz333]

These are the sources of the song en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_Fair_(ballad)

[@Tman2217]

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull was/is also a poet, a songwriter and a showman.

[@vickystanley8853]

Haunting, ethereal and so beautiful!!

[@RedDawnRocker]

Thank you for this India. This song has always been one of my favorite songs of all time but I never heard the full version before. Thank you for introducing me to it. The song makes so much more sense now.

[@SouthernArtist77]

Yes, “The Boxer” is one I highly recommend and it’s not nearly as long unless maybe the album version is and I just don’t remember, anyway, is a wonderful song.

[@nancy9478]

Yes. Art Garfunkle has the purest voice. It threads its way thru my memory of childhood days gone by.

[@kimberlyhaller5356]

They were something so perfect together. Their voices & songs. This one is a very old folk song. The echo part of it by them. Two peices together.

[@jimmymears4375]

this is one of those times i wish i could talk to you in person. this is a complicated song with lyrics and counter lyrics telling a story. it is the story of a dying soldier who is telling the soldier with him as he dies that if he is going to Scarborough fair to look up the girl he loved. the lyrics are his reminiscence of her and a better time. the counter lyrics are his recent account of the fight and battle. probably set in the time of the war of the roses in Yorkshire. parsley sage rosemary and thyme was a mixture used at the time to deaden pain and has a mild halucingenic effect. when you put the two sets of lyrics together you get the whole story.

[@fullcircle3357]

jimmy mears very cool thanks for explaining

[@wirebrushproductions1001]

Well, actually it's not. "Scarborough Fair" is based on the very old "The Elfin Knight". In that one both the man and the woman each demand impossible tasks of the other - which was a fairly common structure in English folk tales. The modern rewriting collapses the two viewpoints into one, and there is no suggestion that the man is dying. The second part is "Canticle", which Simon wrote before he was introduced to "Scarborough Fair", and originally had an entirely different tune.

[@purplebrit]

I met Art Garfunkel about 30 years ago, when I worked at Gatwick airport. I was about 20 and he was waiting for his flight in a private room. I took in coffee, juice and his lunch. We chatted and he was really friendly, I even heard him practicing his singing. I got his autograph and I remember that day like it was yesterday.

[@sweetalkebulianviolet5655]

Wow, that is awesome!!! It's not everyday that we get to meet a legendary musician. 🤗🤗🤗

[@jeffmartin1026]

The Boxer or America are songs well worth reacting to. I saw them in concert in the late 60's. Just the two of them on stage with a small amp for Paul's guitar. 10,000 people respectful, quiet and in love with them.

[@Butch_Breaker]

Simon & Gurfunkel are iconic in the music /rock n roll world . They always were very different from other groups /duo's . Although they are from before my time (i like old music) I feel like their music is like some kind of a soundtrack of life .If that makes sense . It would be great if you would react to more S&G ,they have so many beautiful hits .

[@lisamarieclark6778]

Love folk music so Art and Paul's style was breath taking unforgettable performances my friend.

[@sageofsquirrels111]

Such a solemn song but so beautiful at the same time.

[@kimbunchalastnames5357]

two songs woven together. the first, scarborough faire, is an old english tune. the second, canticle (the lyrics enclosed in parentheses), was written by paul simon. this was a very popular song in the '60s, when college campuses and other settings were the sites of protest against the war in vietnam, especially by those who were old enough to be drafted or who had lost brothers or lovers or friends to the war.

[@carlajeangilliland70]

Hey it's the 77 year old grandma, this is really a protest song, protesting war and the establishment. It is beautifully done in a passive aggressive style that was quite popular back in the 1960's. Other protest songs such as Where have all the flowers gone, also followed suite of this passive aggressive style. Folk singing was very popular in the 1960 with groups like "The mamma's and the poppa's."Peter, Paul and Mary" just to name a few. The main lyrics speak of his love for the girl he left behind at the fair, and the secondary lyrics speak of the war, and fighting etc. Listen to it again. I believe he wants her to find a place for his final resting place. I might be mistaken but I don't think so.

[@cathyk9302]

One of my favorites by them, but their entire catalog is home.

[@lostmyshoe2294]

I love every Simon and Garfunkel song. I had all of their albums when I was a teenager in the 80s. My sister and I went to one of their concerts on their reunion tour in the 90’s and they were still amazing.

[@margaretrees8662]

This song is so smooth. Pure Simon and Garfunkel magic❤❤❤

[@loganbradd9472]

This is a really unique and beautiful song.

[@lbd-po7cl]

Paul Simon actually learnt Scarborough Fair from English folk singer Martin Carthy, who he shared an apartment with in London in the early 60s. Carthy is a famous singer and guitarist in the British folk scene (still performing), and had recorded this as well in the early 60s. When S&G released it on their album they claimed copyright. There was a famous court case which Carthy filed over it, not to claim copyright himself, but to make sure the song remained as public domain, and ultimately won. Simon and Carthy remain good friends, though, and Simon sang at Martin Carthy's 60th birthday concert some years ago.

[@Keedeeg]

Their voices blend perfectly!!! Vocals are always on point. I miss them together. Two very talented men, together or apart. 💗

[@keyserxx]

Simon & Garfunkel was the first music I heard around 2 years old in 1980 on Dad's hifi :) They are still amazing today.

[@Isleofskye]

This song is one of 4 Songs by these guys which was a soundtrack to the iconic movie " The Graduate" which gave Dustin Hoffman his big break in 1967/68. The 4 Tracks being: " Mrs Robinson" , " April Come She Will " , " Scarborough Fair " and " The Sound Of Silence"...

[@Isleofskye]

I could not agree more Connie. Bridge Over Troubled Water was the first album I ever bought in 1969 but my first single was Elvis: Are You Lonesome Tonight in 1960 when I was 6. I will be 66 next month and it is WEIRD.....I can't get my head around it, especially I have just started to receive my first English Old Age ( Government ) Pension. Me: A Pensioner ?? Me ??. The Lady I live within an Open Relationship is 41 and my last 3 girlfriends, all of whom I occasionally see/ speak to are all also either 41 or 42 in London and I feel 100% fit and ( so far ) no health problems at all but what was really funny was 2 conversations yesterday with 2 mates. In the first the Guy ended the call saying he will tell me more about his ailments next time, implying that we never spoke of such things when we were younger and in the second chat I had to laugh as my 70-year-old mate, who used to be in my Tennis team 35 years ago, forgot what he was saying, as, again, that never happened when I was younger but just once in a while I will say something and, momentarily, forget what I was talking about and yet I can remember all 40 children in my Junior school that were in my class in 1963 and recite, alphabetically, all the 30 kids in my secondary school in South East London from 1965 and yet I could not remember something I had just said :)

[@jamesreagle245]

He knows he will die in the upcoming battle and his love will not end and he tells someone to tell his love back home how much he truly loved her.

[@dixiechatty958]

My favorite of theirs is America. They were always amazing.

[@farialmab4723]

Try El Condor Pass (If I Could) it's an old Peruvian song that they put lyrics to I believe. Soooo beautiful and short 😉

[@BelindaTN]

So pretty. Definitely a winding down at the end of a hard day, chilling out on the porch, watching the sun go down, kind of a song.

[@kimberly8858]

Bridge over troubled water by Simon and Garfunkel

[@talonsage954]

The title of the song is actually called Scarborough Faire and Canticle. Two separate songs. They bring them together in a way no other group...with the possible exception of Peter, Paul and Mary...could possibly do justice.

[@HankD13]

S&G have always been a great favourite of mine. The Boxer in particular. Discovered slow dancing and girls in the 70's - ah the memories. And of course Mrs Robinson!

[@garychristensen8025]

It is clear this was a war protest song with the words of Canticle sung by Art,. "Generals order their soldiers to kill and fight for a cause long ago forgotten" and released in 1967 during Viet Man.

[@lindanicholson950]

I was in high school when this song came out. It was beautiful. Could sing along with the main theme but never had any idea what the other words were at all. So I missed the whole underlying war aspect. Poor sheltered me. Just enjoying music.

[@lindanicholson950]

@@michaelmelling9333when people talk about the songs I listened to, there is sometimes a political or cultural meaning that never occurred to me but all the well informed knowledgeable people seem to have always known. I was being sarcastic. I enjoyed the songs for my own reasons.

[@michaelmelling9333]

I just reread what I was asking you about and (now) see that you were actually pretty clear, so my bad for wasting your time. 😢 Stay safe and have a wonderful weekend.

[@lindanicholson950]

@@michaelmelling9333 I have plenty of time. No problem.

[@AmatureAstronomer]

The annual Scarborough Fair was famous, in the olden days, for sale of magical correspondences and reagents. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme were ingredients of a love potion. Parsley represented comfort, sage represented strength, rosemary represented love, and thyme represented courage. The impossible tasks set represent the difficulty in forming a lasting loving relationship. This is one of my favorite songs. An oldie from way, way back, before the piano was invented.

[@rollomaughfling380]

[citation needed]

[@AmatureAstronomer]

@@rollomaughfling380 Needed for what?

[@ccchhhrrriiisss100]

This song is at least 400 years old. It is probably much older than that. The lyrics are about impossible tasks. That someone could be a lover -- but only if that person performed impossible tasks. For instance, the song instructs the person to "tell her to make me a cambric shirt" but "without any seam or needlework" (which would be impossible). In another stanza, he says "tell her to find me an acre of land" but that it has to be "between the salt water and the sea strands" (also impossible -- because there is so little space between the two). At the same time, it could be a riddle that COULD be possible. Did you watch LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING? One of the evil ancient kings (the Lord of the Nazgûl) mocks a human that he is fighting on the battlefield by saying, "Fool. Don't you know that no man can kill me?" Princess Éowyn removes her helmet and faceplate and says, "I am no man." While it seemed "impossible," it turned out that there was a loophole to the riddle/prophecy. So, it is possible that there might have been a cambric shirt constructed "without any seam or needlework." People have theorized what it could refer to (e.g., shirt made from a spider's web, etc.). It can be argued that you can get an acre of land "between the salt water" (ocean) and "sea strands" (shore) by purchasing an island. Either way, the song is very unique and is something of a puzzle or riddle.

[@ooshta]

This & "Sound of Silence" by them I really loved. I like that you do songs I grew up with from the 60's-80's

[@jaredsearle4278]

Different! Absolutely masterful.

[@zyxwut321]

Two different things going on, India. One is Scarborough Fair, an ancient English folk song about an elf who threatens to steal a young woman away to be his lover from the "Scarborough Fair" (a famous summer market fair in Northern England hundreds of years ago) unless she performs various impossible tasks. The other part is a blending of an anti-war song Paul Simon had been working called "The Side of a Hill". What it seems to be saying is war, in particular the Vietnam War of that era, is a series of futile and impossible tasks done for "causes long ago forgotten". The blending of tradition and modern elements shows how war is an ancient practice that's still constantly fooling society with false promises of peace and happiness through conquest, a promise that leads only to more war and more impossible tasks.

[@AdrianDeVore]

I would listen to the entire "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme" album because they were so many great songs on it.

[@TANTRUMGASM]

can anything remind us or give us a taste of long past times.....Like a song from that time.....You hear olde England dripping out of this

[@sheilameyers152]

When I was 12 yrs old I wanted to know why they were singing about spices! No matter I still liked the harmony .Thanks for explaining!

[@ellendobbyn-blackmore3504]

I lived with this song for 30 years before I really understood it. The artist's genius, he wrote it when so young.

[@suzyt9911]

I love this version of Scarborough Fair, I live in Scarborough, it is a small fishing town in North Yorkshire, although the fishing is all but gone now, very sad. This song is very old and was for the merchants who came to the old market.

[@Sam-shushu]

The way they put it together to reinterpret the old song, it's like a ghost story. A dying (or perhaps even dead) soldier is asking someone to send a message to his long lost love.

[@J_Gamble]

Adapted from one (or more) traditional English ballads...the singer lists a series of impossible tasks for his once-lover, laid over an older anti-war song of Paul Simon's.

[@richardbutler7547]

Hi India, I would like to share how I hear this song. This was recorded during the Viet Nam war. What I hear is a dying soldier entrusting to a friend to look up his girl, and giving instructions on how he is to be buried. The shirt to dress him in, where the grave should be, ect. So the lines about she has no idea of the call to battle that he has been wounded in, she is at home asleep. I think Paul Simon is one of the best songwriters of my generation. He paints vivid pictures with just a phrase or two. I agree with Sherri, "The Boxer" is a fantastic song, tells a story well and is musically strong (especially the last half of the song). anyways, hope you are well. RNB

[@glastonbury4304]

This was a copy from the Martin Carthy version who eventually Paul Simon gave him credit for after he heard him singing it when touring England, however it is over 500 years old and has many more lyrics , Simon and Garfunkel sing it beautifully

[@janoshunyadi2]

It's not strictly true to say the song is over 500 years old. This particular song dates back at least to the 18th century and has commonalities with the Scottish ballad 'The Elfin Knight' which has been traced back to 1670. Both of them, no doubt, were based on earlier songs.

[@glastonbury4304]

@@janoshunyadi2 I'm afraid you are wrong , I've studied this canticle in great length...the easiest way to look it up is Google it ...it's over 600 years old and was a canticle sang by traders going from town to town in the north east of England. Out of every story I've heard, yours is a new one...if you have any proof of your findings, please let me know, so we can share each others findings. It is an anonymous old English canticle and many myths surrounding it, but the earliest reference to this canticle was 610 years ago , however there were a lot more lyrics, but all the ones in the Martin Carthy folk song , which eventually Paul Simon gave him credit for after years fighting him, where Paul Simon apologised for emitting him from the credits. "Scarborough Fair" is a traditional English folk song from the Middle Ages, referring to an old fair in Scarborough, Yorkshire. As a market fair, comprising of traders, merchants and other vendors, it started, at least 610 years ago; the tune and lyrics appeared somewhere around 1300, which is easy to research, but the Elfin Knight came much much later and has no relation to Scarborough Fair...even the lyrics don't mention one lyrics of Scarborough Fair in it , plus the Elfin Knight is more a supernatural folk song from Scotland.

[@janoshunyadi2]

My comment about it not being strictly true referred to the fact that the song has continuously evolved throughout its history. The version of the song in this video is very different to earlier versions of the song - you could classify it as the same song, but isn't it more correct to talk about a group of related songs? I would make the analogy of languages. You could call Anglo-Saxon early English and claim it's the same language we now speak, but they are mutually unintelligble - indeed, late medieval English could not be understood by people today, which is why Chaucer is translated.

[@janoshunyadi2]

@@glastonbury4304 "the tune and lyrics appeared somewhere around 1300" How do you know when the tune appeared? The lyrics could have been written down but not the tune.

[@janoshunyadi2]

@@glastonbury4304 "Out of every story I've heard, yours is a new one..." It certainly is not. I'm surprised you'd claim to have researched the song but not be aware of what Shirley Collins and Martin Carthy wrote about it. Of course, that was 55-60 years ago, so may well have been superceded by more recent research. But Martin Carthy is still telling the story - I've heard it from him in recent years. Shirley Collins sang Scarborough Fair unaccompanied in 1960 on her second album, False True Lovers. She commented in the album's sleeve notes: "Derived by MacColl from Cecil Sharp's English Folk Songs, [this] is a fragment of an extremely ancient ballad (Child No. 2, The Elfin Knight), common in all areas of Britain and North America." Carthy commented in his first album's sleeve notes: "The characters in the Elfin Knight (of which Scarborough Fair is a version) are a demon and a maid." mainlynorfolk.info/martin.carthy/songs/scarboroughfair.html

[@Joe-rn7td]

It is brilliantly used in The Graduate and is my favourite S&G song, Bridge... a close second!

[@RicoBurghFan]

The interweaving of the old English song with the antiwar message is brilliant. Also the back and forth harmonies are transplendent.

[@RicoBurghFan]

Also will always associate this song with The Graduate, where it was placed to great effect.

[@cristoballmalinowski6897]

The song is done in counterpoint, two song's structurally sound on their own, and combined!

[@debbiechang5781]

Beautiful song. Used in the movie “The Graduate”. The mysterious lyrics make it more intriguing. Please react to “Sound of Silence”. Best two part harmony (except Lennon-McCartney) of any duo

[@rosswatson5996]

Scarborough is a small town on the east coast of England.

[@elainebaldwin928]

Thanks for the mention ross...I live here in the same beatiful scarborough. But to my shame wasn't actually up on the full history of the song....just know i've been singing it most of my life.....😊😊 xx

[@southendparaquest]

@@elainebaldwin928 hoping to pay a visit sometime next year. Nearest i got last year was Goathland. Such a beautiful part of the country (I live in Southend. Another Seaside resort!)

[@elainebaldwin928]

@@southendparaquest hi, adam. Glad you enjoyed goathland. When i was little we used to go to london in the hols and stay with the grandparenrs, and we would go often to southend.....fond memories. Hope you enjoy scarborough when you visit. I'm sure you will 😊

[@melissayost4888]

A classic!! Please do America & Cecilia. Two very different songs.

[@JamesWilson-vr3ql]

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme is an old, old love spell. "I Am A Rock" is another great S&G tune.

[@jeffmorse645]

Traditional English ballad from hundreds of years ago. Lovely song actually. "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 (in the deep forest green) Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground) Without no seams nor needle work (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 (A sprinkling of leaves) Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (Washes the grave with silvery tears) Between the salt water and the sea strands (And polishes a gun) Then she'll be a true love of mine Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather (Blazing in scarlet battalions) Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill) And gather it all in a bunch of heather (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"

[@timinglis340]

This would have to be my favourite Simon & Garfunkle song. Beautiful yet heart-wrenchingly nasty at the same time. The way the music builds with the harmonies is truly masterful and when you realise that he's setting these impossible tasks for his once true love to regain that love... it punches me right in the heart.

[@PeterDay81]

Scarborough Fair is a traditional Englsh folk balled it has been traced as far back as 1670.Paul Simon played in the English folk scene he may have picked the song up then. In 1965, a dejected Paul Simon went for an extended stay in England. When he returned home to New York toward the end of the year, he brought Anji with him. ... “One of the things he found [in England] was a welcome, warm music community.

[@davem.2191]

Simon & Garfunkel - For Emily Wherever I May Find Her. ..would be make a good reaction video.

[@Donnagilbert6497]

Dave M. Especially the live version on the greatest hits album!

[@Pjaypt]

@@Donnagilbert6497 Agreed! 👍

[@sharmullins3894]

I would suggest The Boxer or I am a Rock for your next Simon and Garfunkel songs.

[@SouthernArtist77]

Shar Mullins “The Boxer” is one of my all time favorite songs from that era, it tells the story in a very poetic way, do you know who wrote it?

[@wnsafford1854]

@@SouthernArtist77 Paul Simon wrote The Boxer. He wrote most of their songs. Wikipedia has a list of songs written by Paul Simon; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_written_by_Paul_Simon

[@SouthernArtist77]

WN Safford Thanks, I guess I could have googled it myself. I appreciate you.

[@wnsafford1854]

@@SouthernArtist77 You're welcome. No problem. If The Boxer is one of your favorite songs, you would probably enjoy any of Simon & Garfunkel's albums. Art Garfunkel had the voice of an angel, Paul Simon was/is a genius songwriter. 5 studio albums, all at least 1x Platinum (the Bridge Over Troubled Water album was 8x Platinum).

[@SouthernArtist77]

WN Safford I know, I have many on my phone and I still listen to them. Thanks.

[@blitztim6416]

Such a soothing and beautiful song. And yet you are stressed out about it. Huh? I don't think anyone else has had this type of reaction from this song before. It's an old English folk song with great harmonies. Relax and enjoy it.

[@patticalvert6631]

I interpreted it as the ghost of a fallen soldier asking a traveler to give his lover instructions on his burial, how to dress him, where to put his grave, etc. It's like an anti-war twist on a traditional folk song.

[@melenatorr]

This was my first Simon and Garfunkel song, and I instantly fell in love with harmonies and the way the two songs intertwined. Yes, there is a LOT going on here, and on so many different levels. The basic message is anti-war. As noted below, the song was composed during the Vietnam War. Part of the magic of Simon and Garfunkel is how they frame and weave their harsh messages in beautiful compositions.

[@MrMoggyman]

This song is the epitome of beauty.

[@skyepuppy7763]

This has always been one of my favorite S&G songs, because the harmonies are exquisite.

[@AdAstra45]

Old lady here, I loved this song from the moment it came out in the 1960s. A man gives his lover some impossible tasks to perform to prove her love for him. (Make a shirt without seams or needlework.) It is based upon an old English folk song, hence the Dorian mode. The other aspect of this recording is The Canticle, which is the anti-war song interwoven with Scarborough Fair. It was the mid-1960s and the war in Vietnam was becoming increasingly unpopular. I hope this gives you some background to help you to understand this recording.

[@joeyrobison6629]

Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkel, a far cry different than Scarborough Fair. Cecelia has a reggae quality to it. Try listening to that one.

[@juangarza7193]

Awesome song joey!!!great jam .listen to the boxer**😀

[@1nelsondj]

This is the album version which is twice as long as the single version, haven't heard it in forever. They were great as a duo, Simon wrote the songs but Garfunkel had the voice. After they split up and made solo albums Simon's sold better I think but I enjoy Garfunkel's more. "Watermark" is one of my favorite albums of all time.

[@fgrady1]

Yog-Sothoth This soundtrack version is really one version with an instrumental piece and the song repeats itself, Thus, doubly as long in length.

[@robertreichle1]

Garfunkle's Breakaway album is great from start to finish. I spent the first half of my life being mad at people for making fun of Art Garfunkle for being a useless part of the group when they obviously knew nothing of they were talking about.

[@gijsbertuslaurensvandevooren]

Angel Clare is beautiful to.

[@jimmymears4375]

one of the most beautiful love songs of all time right up there with Dan Fogelburg's Longer

[@dalecrowe7757]

I've always read the lyrics as a dying soldier asking a companion to, if he is at the Scarborough Fair back in England, to mention him fondly to an old love there. A "fair" in the old days was a seasonal event to allow the local farmers and merchants to sell their harvests and goods. Quite a few have turned into festivals over the years. I used to love the Spring fests in Germany and of course Oktoberfest when the new beer kegs were traditionally tapped :)

[@jeremykirk2508]

Seems to me like it's about a person who is abroad fighting in a war. And his hometown where his family lives he knows it's now the time of year for the Scarborough Fair, but he won't be there with his love when she attends the fair

[@marcbolinger3648]

Top ten sweetest sounding song ever

[@nobbycheeseman2915]

'Keep The Customer Satisfied' is a great Simon and Garfunkel Song.

[@drew65sep]

Queensryche does an excellent cover of this...besides maybe some Classical stuff, this is arguably one of the oldest songs still played. It's centuries old.

[@joem1480]

Greensleaves/What Child Is This is probably almost as old

[@drew65sep]

@@joem1480 lol, yup...very cool stuff.

[@viewfromthehighchair9391]

I had not realized the lyrics were talking about war. Wow! All these years of loving this song and not really understanding it. I need to listen more intently.

[@elainebaldwin928]

Thanks for the info guys.....i live in the town of scarborough in the uk.....but have to admit that i didn't know the background of the song. Just know that i love it, especially this version. And, of course, have sung it all my life....😊😊😊

[@michaelkotsol9464]

This is absolutely one the beautiful song of Simon&Garfunkel song. They have so many beautiful songs. This in top 5 on my Simon and Garfunkel song Bridge over troubled waters,hammer song,sound of silence,America,the boxer song

[@kathrynmolesa1641]

Two of the greatest folk singers from the 1960's. They were doing mashup's long ago.

[@roconnor01]

In the UK we don't pronounce the British town of Scarborough as Americans do i.e. Scarboro, the English pronunciation is more like Scarburra.

[@willrichardson519]

Or Scar'bruh

[@watcherwlc53]

good to know

[@skyepuppy7763]

I've found that the English don't pronounce a lot of words correctly. ;)

[@Alan-lv9rw]

“We are two nations separated by a common language” ... I think Churchill said that.

[@glastonbury4304]

"Scarborough Fair," popularised in the United States by the 1960s singer-songwriting duo Simon & Garfunkel, is an English folk song about a market fair that took place in the town of Scarborough in Yorkshire during medieval times. Like any fair, it attracted traders, entertainers and food vendors, along with other hangers-on. The fair peaked in the late 14th century but continued to operate until the end of the 1700s. Now, several fairs are held in remembrance of the original. The lyrics for "Scarborough Fair" talk about unrequited love. A young man requests impossible tasks from his lover, saying that if she can perform them, he will take her back. In return, she requests impossible things of him, saying she will perform her tasks when he performs his. It's possible that this tune was derived from a Scottish song called "The Elfin Knight" (Child Ballad No. 2), wherein an elf kidnaps a woman and tells her that, unless she can do these impossible things, he will keep her as his lover. The use of the herbs "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" in the lyrics has been debated and discussed. It's possible that they were just put there as a placeholder, as people forgot what the original line was. In traditional folk music, songs grew and evolved over time, as they were passed down through the oral tradition. That's the reason there are so many versions of so many old folk songs, and possibly why these herbs have become such a prominent part of the verse. However, herbalists will tell you of the symbolism and functions of herbs in healing and health maintenance. There's also a possibility that these meanings were intended as the song evolved (parsley for comfort or to remove bitterness, sage for strength, thyme for courage, rosemary for love). There's some speculation that these four herbs were used in a tonic of some sort. Paul Simon learned the song in 1965 while visiting British folk singer Martin Carthy in London. Art Garfunkel adapted the arrangement, integrating elements of another song Simon had written called "Canticle," which in turn was adapted from yet another Simon song, "The Side of a Hill." The pair added some anti-war lyrics that reflected the times. Simon & Garfunkel gave Carthy no credit on their recording for the arrangement of a traditional folk song, and Carthy accused Simon of stealing his work. Many years later, Simon settled the issue with Carthy, and in 2000 they performed together in London.

[@suziejane1008]

Beautiful adaptation of an old English folk song (different pronunciations) Scarborough is a place in England whose fair is well known there - pronounced scarbrugh

[@brenthowell8883]

Check out Mrs Robinson by them.👍

[@jimmymears4375]

due to the medicine all his thoughts are jumbled and he is going back and forth from memory of his love and the recent battle.as he dies.

[@mrod7692]

My favorite.

[@patriciadowning4036]

They give a list of impossbilities...like his love for her.

[@laustcawz2089]

I've noticed Tracey Chapman's "Fast Car" playing in the intros. You should check out the' 70s equivalent of Tracey Chapnan, Joan Armatrading.