Martin Carthy - Scarborough Fair 1965

Martin Carthy - Scarborough Fair

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

Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Without no seam nor fine needlework,
And then shell be a true love of mine.

Tell her to find me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
Between the salt water and the sea-strand,
And then shell be a true love of mine.

Tell her to plough it with a land's (sheeps) horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
And to sow it all over with one peppercorn,
And then shell be a true love of mine.

Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,
..........
And then shell be a true love of mine.

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

MARTIN CARTHY in web:
http://www.watersoncarthy.com/
http://www.alanbearmanmusic.co.uk/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/scarborough.shtml

Paul Simon learned "Scarborough Fair" in 1965 in London from MARTIN CARTHY. All copyrights for this great traditionell are by Paul Simon!. So it can be deleted next!
Martin, this version is 10 000 miles better than the version of Simon & Garfunkel!!!!!!!

The history of "Scarborough Fair":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarborough_Fair

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Folk

[bramstokerful]

Great version. Eay to see how Paul Simon was so influenced by it.

[VolksMusik08]

Thx very much for your comment.

[VisionsOfBanana]

@bramstokerful

Paul Simon wasn't "influenced" as such. Tom Paxton received a dinner invite from Martin Carthy and Simon tagged along. Carthy's arrangement of SF was his biggest song at the time and Simon asked if he would write it down for him, which Carthy naiively did. The next day, Simon copyrighted the song as his own.

PS is a f*cking slimeball.

[kmckmc27]

Martin old chap, you've just made me sob.

There's something unbearably beautiful about this.

[leon723]

To all the Simon-bashers and those who might believe them, read the definitive article in the Telegraph, "Friends Again With Paul Simon," and you will see that Simon did not ever claim to have written the song; it was a misunderstanding. And Simon and Carthy reconciled in the year 2000, even singing the song together at Hammersmith. To find the article just Google the phrase "Carthy Friends Again with Paul Simon"

[gigiopp]

Great song. however the tabs in video do not correspond to what he is playing. (or I have some different tune of my guitar).

I got interested in English folk songs due to this record of Martin Carthey. Seems to me that this version is much more "folk" as I imagine what folklore is like. Now I got interested in English folk due to this record. Is there any other songs you can recommend me to listen to?

[sgcim]

It is very clear that Paul Simon stole this beautiful arrangement of SF from Martin Carthy. All the elements of Carthy's beautiful guitar accompaniment are incorporated into the S&G arrangement, notably the way it builds up through the song. Carthy manages to do this with only his own playing, while Simon used backup musicians, and Garfunkel's beautiful backup harmony. Hopefully Simon at least was responsible for AG's backup harmonies(; if not, then he contributed very little to the song.

[cuculus50]

@TheMightyHartley I am struggling with the idea of music as theft. Composers from the past took ideas, styles and inspiration from those who went before. Give me a name and I'll show you a forger of coins, at least in part. The good ones bring something more. Paul Simon's tragedy is he brought nothing more. His version is a clunky simplification of Carthy's version, a version taken and reworked by Carthy himself, as he would readily admit.

[TheMightyHartley]

@cuculus50 Anyone bringing stuff to a wider audience through blatant theft is worthy of knocking,

[cuculus50]

@ guywolff

you are right in every particular, and let's not forget that the Dylan also poached from Martin Carthy. However, neither Paul Simon, nor Dylan, have Carthy's style. They copied, but could not get the sweet rolling poetry and rhythm of Carthy's version. I would rather listen to M Carthy's versions anyday.

[guywolff]

I just read through these and I thought it important to break this down a bit. Anyone putting out a record has the right to use songs that are "Public Domain" like an old folk song but one has to ask permission and pay royalties for using someone else's arrangement. If you listen closely to PS's guitar arrangement you will hear he is coping Carthy's guitar part very closely. It is a very singular style .This is the point here and Martin is a gentleman for how he responded to all this ..

[cuseofmuncubis]

love moat on the ledge. have it on vinyl. play it on my PL2 some times.

woodworm. fairports defintive label. and independent too.

[cuseofmuncubis]

im jewish and simon is a cheat.! forever matin carthy david swabrick full house angels delight. cruel sister , solmons seal. basket of light sandy denny. folk unites mankind. - as for paul simon he unites no one.....

[cuculus50]

... and when the dust has settled, I still prefer this :)