Scarborough Fair
Unveiling Love's Enigmatic Tasks
Lyrics
Are you going to Scarborough Fair:
Invitation to go to Scarborough Fair.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
List of herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to one who lives there.
Request to convey greetings to someone in Scarborough.
She once was a true love of mine.
Reference to a past love in Scarborough.
On the side of a hill in the deep forest green.
Describing a hill in a lush, green forest.
Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested brown.
Observation of a sparrow's trace on snow-covered ground.
Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain
Depiction of a child of the mountain sleeping with blankets.
Sleeps unaware of the clarion call.
The child remains unaware of a distant call to action.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt:
Instructing someone to make a seamless cambric shirt.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
Repetition of herbs in the context of crafting a shirt.
Without no seams nor needle work,
Desire for a shirt without seams or needlework.
Then she'll be a true love of mine.
Hope that the completion of the shirt will rekindle love.
On the side of a hill a sprinkling of leaves.
Description of leaves scattered on a hillside.
Washes the grave with silvery tears.
Imagery of tears washing a grave.
A soldier cleans and polishes a gun.
Depiction of a soldier maintaining a gun.
Sleeps unaware of the clarion call.
The soldier remains oblivious to a call to action.
Tell her to find me an acre of land:
Instruction to find an acre of land.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
Repetition of herbs in the context of finding land.
Between the salt water and the sea strand,
Specification of the location between salt water and sea strand.
Then she'll be a true love of mine.
Hope that finding land will rekindle love.
War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions.
Introduction of war-related imagery.
General order their soldiers to kill.
Generals order soldiers to kill.
And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten.
Reflection on soldiers fighting for a forgotten cause.
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather:
Instruction to reap with a leather sickle.
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
Repetition of herbs in the context of harvesting.
And gather it all in a bunch of heather,
Direction to gather the harvest in a bunch of heather.
Then she'll be a true love of mine.
Hope that the completion of the harvest will rekindle love.
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