What does Scarborough Fair/Canticle mean?

Simon & Garfunkel: Scarborough Fair/Canticle Meaning

Tagged: War [suggest]
Album cover for Scarborough Fair/Canticle album cover

Scarborough Fair/Canticle Lyrics

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

On the side of a hill in the deep forest green
Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested brown
Blankets and...

  1. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 10th 2005 !⃝

    If you listen carefully to how they rewrote this song (properly named "Scarborough Fair/Canticle"), or look at the lyrics, you will see some anti-war messages. Especially "...blazing in scarlet battalions... generals order their soldiers to war... to fight for a cause, they've long ago forgotten..."

    This is the climax of the song and therefore it's obviously very anti-war in tone. Also, earlier, there's a line about a soldier polishing his gun. The way these lines are sort of intermixed with the main melody, an old English folk song, makes the messages almost subliminal at parts and blazingly clear at others. This is a beautiful song no matter how you look at it.

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