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Scarborough Fair - Simon & Garfunkel
Transcribed by: Eric Beckman (skalpadda@lycos.com)
Capo on 7th fret.
Intro:
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
|---0--------------|---0--------------|-------------------|
|------------3-----|------------3-----|---0---------------|
|------0--------0--|------0--------0--|------0------------|
|---------4--------|---------4--------|-------------------|
|0-----------------|5-----------------|3-----------2------|
|------------------|------------------|-------------------|
Vers:
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
||---0--------------|---0--------------||-------------------|
||------------3-----|------------0-----||0--------1--0------|
||*-----0--------0--|------2--------2-*||---0---------------|
||*--------4--------|---------2-------*||------0--2--0------|
||0-----------------|0-----------------||-------------------|
||------------------|------------------||3------------------|
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
|---0--------------|---0--------------|---0--------------|---0---------------|
|------------3-----|------------0-----|------------1-----|------------0------|
|------0--------0--|------2--------2--|------0--------0--|------2--------2---|
|---------4--------|---------2--------|---------2--------|---------2---------|
|0-----------------|0-----------------|3-----------------|0------------------|
|------------------|------------------|------------------|-------------------|
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
|0-----2-----------||---0--------------|---0--------------||---0---------------|
|------------3-----||------------3-----|------------0-----||-------------------|
|---0-----2-----2--||*-----0--------0--|------2--------2-*||------2------------|
|------0-----0-----||*--------4--------|---------2-------*||---------2---------|
|3-----------------||0-----------------|0-----------------||0-----------0--2---|
|------------------||------------------|------------------||-------------------|
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
|---0--------------|0-----------------|------------------|-------------------|
|------------1-----|------3-----1-----|0-----------1-^0--|1-----0------------|
|------0--------0--|---0-----0-----0--|---0-----0--------|-----------(0)-----|
|---------2--------|------------------|------0-----2-^0--|2-----0------------|
|3-----------------|3-----2-----0-----|------------------|-------------------|
|------------------|------------------|3-----------------|------------3------|
| . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | .
|---0--------0-----|------------------|------------------||
|---------------1--|0-----------1-----|0-----0^1^0-------||
|------2-----------|---0-----0--------|------------0-----||
|---------2--------|------0-----2-----|0-----0^2^0-------||
|0-----------------|------------------|------------2-----||
|------------------|3-----------------|------------------||
End with intro.
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
|
No Picture
james Rhythm Player |
#1 by james dobson at Feb 17, 1973 at 1:50 PM EST |
| That (^^) isn't the way I heard it, or read, as it happens, in the booklet for a superlative folk singer Martin Carthy album, with his version of scarborough fair on it. His interpretation is that the singer of the song is a devil (or the devil, I can't quite remember) who has been snubbed by a woman in scarborough fair. The impossible tasks he sets her are to try and ensnare her, like an impossible test. I think there is supposedly an intimation that she manages it too :/ | |
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No Picture
cody Rhythm Player |
#2 by cody watts at Aug 8, 1973 at 7:09 AM EST |
| as far as I am aware, the first version of the song sang of a "Whittington Fair" and did not include the subtle yet stabbing harmony about impending war. I had always assumed, given this information, that the song was anti-war, sort of reaching out to those who preach a love of tradition by making their statement an addition to an old popular folk song. It should also be noted that Scarborough is a town in England notorious for it's quick dealings with criminals- being hung without trial. For the meanings of the folk song itself, it seems to be about the loss of a true love; parsley sage rosemary and thyme are all herbs that were used to subdue bitterness in cooking- perhaps these were used to display the mournful lover's wish for a resolution of bitter feelings. | |
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No Picture
Perfect Pervers Rhythm Player |
#3 by Perfect Perversion™ at Apr 28, 1977 at 3:54 PM EST |
| an informative link on this song: http://www.geocities.com/paris/villa/3895/ | |
|
No Picture
Jesus Professional |
#4 by Jesus at Feb 28, 1983 at 10:37 AM EST |
| i love this song, it's really eerie, but in a great way...my fave S&G song behind The Sound Of Silence | |
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No Picture
Gladis Wanna Be |
#5 by Gladis McHumphry at Jul 3, 1983 at 10:34 PM EST |
| PROOF OF ANTI WAR all lines such as "generals order their soldiers to kill" and "a soldier cleans and polishes a gun" are sung extremely minor. Also this line, even without it's minor key, must serve as evidence. "And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten". HE is stating that the soldiers are fighting for a cause they've forgotten. THey are not fighting for the cause, they are fighting because they gotta. Paul Simon=genius. | |
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No Picture
Guitar Master Wanna Be |
#6 by Guitar Master J at Mar 8, 1994 at 12:43 AM EST |
| Paul Simon was very against the war. Another great anti-war song written by him...."An American Tune". This song is great. Ha I was singing it with this vocal group, and afterwards this girl yells "WOW THAT WAS SUPER GHETTO FABULOUS" and I laughed my arse off. | |
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No Picture
Tavo Wanna Be |
#7 by Tavo at Jun 23, 1994 at 2:32 PM EST |
| My mom and dad would play this to me so many times. I think the line "And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten" is interesting, because during the Vietnam war, many soldiers would wonder why they were there. :D I loooove this song. | |
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No Picture
Jordan Average |
#8 by Jordan S. at Jan 30, 1997 at 8:30 PM EST |
| Disregarding the anti-war verses sung in between, this song is about a man who left his lover in Scarborough Fair. He finds out that someone is going there. Hence, he tries to describe his lover to him, and finds no better way than asking her to do for him impossible tasks that only his true love would try. After reading Boss Man's comment, I would go with what he says, that the girl is a witch, so the way to find her is by asking her to use magic to do impossible tasks. I would like to think that she is not a witch, and that the guy either idealizes her as a goddess, or believes that only his true love would do the impossible for him. | |
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No Picture
(DDD Bass Gu Rhythm Player |
#9 by (DDD Bass Guitar/Backup Vocals) Jeff Fritts at Sep 25, 1999 at 10:51 PM EST |
| I love this song it's so calming..I'm trying to get my choir director to do it with the Chamber choir | |
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No Picture
Tony Average |
#10 by Tony Riemer at Jul 3, 2000 at 5:19 PM EST |
| the first verse strikes me as a christianity reference. Jesus himself supposedly wore a shirt with no seams or needlework. Maybe the underlying meaning is that what she wants from the woman is actually her faith? But then, the song seems to be about the impossibility of the tasks, so there. | |
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