Engl2329 Artistic Response Project
For my artistic response project, I chose “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (I attempted to embed the youtube video, but it did not work. Please follow the link to the video).
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Scarborough Fair/Canticle Lyrics:
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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
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Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
(On the side of a hill in the deep forest green)
Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Tracing a sparrow on snow-crested ground)
Without no seams nor needlework
(Blankets and bedclothes a child of the mountains)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine
(Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
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Tell her to find me an acre of land
(On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves)
Parsely, sage, rosemary, and thyme
(Washed is the ground with so many tears)
Between the salt water and the sea strand
(A soldier cleans and polishes a gun)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine
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Tell her to reap it in a sickle of leather
(War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions)
Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme
(Generals order their soldiers to kill)
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
(And to fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten)
Then she’ll be a true love of mine
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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
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Background:
“Scarborough Fair/Canticle” was released in late 1966, and is actually two songs merged into one. “Scarborough Fair” is an English folk ballad exploring the relationship between two lovers, and whose origins can be traced back to the 17th century. “Canticle” is a re-worked version of Paul Simon’s song “The Side of a Hill”, and is punctuated by war references. “Scarborough Fair” lyrics make up a majority of the song, with “Canticle” lyrics found in parentheses interspersed throughout.
Analysis:
The lyrics comprising the “Canticle” portion of the song clearly describe a day in the life of soldier. Changing seasons are portrayed through lyrics such as “deep forest green”, “sprinkling of leaves”, and “snow-crested ground”, as the soldier endures time passing. “Tracing a sparrow” refers to hunting for food, and “Blankets and bedclothes a child of the mountains” refers to sleeping outdoors in the elements. Next, the “Canticle” lyrics explore the emotional side to war: “Washed is the ground with so many tears” references grieving over fallen comrades. In the next line of “Canticle”, the lyrics contrast the emotional side of war with the practical side: “A soldier cleans and polishes a gun”.
The “Canticle” lyrics then evolve into decidedly anti-war sentiments with the last three lines: “War bellows, blazing in scarlet battalions/Generals order their soldiers to kill/And to fight for a cause they’ve long ago forgotten”. This indicates that the cause of the fighting may be unknown or no longer relevant, and despite the raging war with high casualties, the fighting continues. Early on in the lyrics the songwriter alludes to anti-war sentiments by the phrase “Sleeps unaware of the clarion call”. This phrase describes soldiers sleeping on the frontlines of fighting while protesters back home demand an end to the war.
Impression:
By combining a traditional love ballad with anti-war lyrics, Simon and Garfunkel create a work of art that serves a political purpose. The manner in which the “Canticle” lyrics are carefully interwoven creates a song that contrasts love and war in a haunting, subliminal fashion. The “Canticle” lyrics are sung by Simon in the background and are presented almost as an afterthought. This is reminiscent of how an active war can often be pushed to the background, which is especially true of long wars fought on foreign soil when the civilians may not have a good grasp on the purpose of the war to begin with.
Resources:
Video from YouTube.com
Lyrics from lyricsfreak.com
Biography information from SimonandGarfunkel.com
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