Alas, my love you, do me wrong to cast me off so discourteously...

[jackofallgeeks]

My favorite Christmas song has long been What Child is This which borrowed (some would say 'stole') its melody from Greensleaves, an olde folk song of sorts. I loved that melody, and only but recently learned some of the lyrics from a song by Blackmore's Night -- I think it was Becky-chan who directed me toward them. On a whim, I decided to look up the lyrics for Greensleaves, and found much more than Blackmore's Night performs...

1.
Alas, my love, you do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you well and long,
Delighting in your company.

[Chorus]
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight,
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but my Lady Greensleeves?

2.
Alas, my love, that you should own
A heart of wanton vanity,
So must I meditate alone
Upon your insincerity.

[Chorus]

3.
Your vows you've broken, like my heart,
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?
Now I remain in a world apart
But my heart remains in captivity.

[Chorus]

4.
If you intend thus to disdain,
It does the more enrapture me,
And even so, I still remain
A lover in captivity.

[Chorus]

5.
I have been ready at your hand,
To grant whatever thou wouldst crave;,
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and good-will for to have.

[Chorus]

6.
Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
But still thou hadst it readily.
Thy music still to play and sing;
And yet thou wouldst not love me.

[Chorus]

7.
I bought thee kerchiefs for thy head,
That were wrought fine and gallantly;
I kept thee at both board and bed,
Which cost my purse well-favoredly.

[Chorus]

8.
I bought thee petticoats of the best,
The cloth so fine as it might be;
I gave thee jewels for thy chest,
And all this cost I spent on thee.

[Chorus]

9.
Thy smock of silk, both fair and white,
With gold embroidered gorgeously;
Thy petticoat of sendal right,
And these I bought thee gladly.

[Chorus]

10.
My men were clothed all in green,
And they did ever wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.

[Chorus]

11.
They set thee up, they took thee down,
They served thee with humility;
Thy foot might not once touch the ground,
And yet thou wouldst not love me.

[Chorus]

12.
'Tis I will pray to God on high,
That thou my constancy mayst see,
And that yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to love me.

[Chorus]

13.
Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,
To God I pray to prosper thee,
For I am still thy lover true,
Come once again and love me.

[Chorus]

Comments

[ambereternal.livejournal.com]

Wow. I had never actually known the lyrics to Greensleeves before. They're actually quite beautiful...Thanks RoliasNoom!

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

I didn't know there were lyrics until about a year ago -- I just thought it was an instrumental piece. And the lyrics are even suitably tragic for my tastes...

[ofthelily.livejournal.com]

its melody from Greensleaves, an olde folk song of sorts

It was written by King Henry VIII of England

Today's obscure history fact brought to you from the Crazy Chu of History.

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

*giggles and loves The Alyce*

[ex-orin917.livejournal.com]

I was going to point out the history but I got beaten to it. So instead I'll say that (IMHO) the definitive cover of King H's hit classic is that of Loreena McKennit. ^^;;

[jackofallgeeks.livejournal.com]

McKennit did a version? That is somehing I shall have to find. -nods to this-

[thismortalquill.livejournal.com]

The lyrics to greensleaves is attributed to him, but the tune itself is much, much older.

[tzohekiti.livejournal.com]

did you know Vanessa Carlton (sp?) sings it too? Different part then Blackmores Night but still not the whole thing... (which is freakishly long I might add...)