"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional English folk song (one of the Child Ballads). It has been best known, for the past several decades, in a version by Simon and Garfunkel (sung live here along with Andy Williams).
However, the song, in its original version, is much older than that. It is one of a special genre of old songs (sometimes called paradox or riddle songs) that ask someone to do impossible tasks, like making a shirt "without any seam or needlework." How can that be done? Will the singers ever get together in spite of their impossible demands? We can only guess.
Lyrics
One set of lyrics can be found at the website of the Brobdingnagian Bards, here and here.
As a second option, the Wikipedia article includes the first three stanzas as given in the book Traditional Tunes, by Frank Kidson (1891) (which, interestingly, suggests quite a different tune. Those who can read music might want to experiment with that). Here is the full set of lyrics as given in the same book. The first part of the song is sung by a man; the second is a response from the woman.
(Note that most recordings of the song substitute "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme" for "Savoury sage.")
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“O, where are you going?” “To Scarborough fair,”
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme;
“Remember me to a lass who lives there,
For once she was a true love of mine.
“And tell her to make me a cambric shirt.
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Without any seam or needlework,
And then she shall be a true love of mine.
“And tell her to wash it in yonder dry well,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Where no water sprung, nor a drop of rain fell,
And then she shall be a true love of mine.
“Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
Which never bore
blossom since Adam was born,
And then she shall be a true love of thine.”
“Oh, will you find me an acre of land,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Between the sea foam, the sea sand,
Or never be a true lover of mine.
“O, will you plough it with a ram’s horn.
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
Or never be a true lover of mine.
“O, will you reap it with a sickle of leather,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
And tie it all up with a peacock’s feather,
Or never be a true lover of mine.
“And when you have done and finished your work,
Savoury sage, rosemary, and thyme,
You may come to me for your cambric shirt,
And then you shall be a true lover of mine.”
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