What could be more English than "Greensleeves"? Nobody knows who wrote it but almost certainly it was not King Henry VIII who was too busy fighting the Catholic church, chasing women and eating chicken drumsticks to compose beautiful music and charming lyrics. Besides there's a certain tenderness in the song that we most certainly would not associate with boorish Henry the Eighth.
The song was first officially registered with The London Stationers' Company in September 1580 but its history is most likely much longer than that.
Today there are a lot of versions of "Greensleeves" out there. Often they are instrumental versions with the lyrics oddly overlooked. Other versions are classical, performed by po-faced trained singers. I wanted to share a version in which the singing would be foremost and the performers would appear to feel the meaning of the old words they were singing.
I chose this version by Peter Hollens and Tim Foust, filmed standing on a cliff at sundown on the west coat of America - Oregon in fact. It is a timeless song about longing, love and rejection - universal themes that may cause listeners to reflect upon our past experiences of romance.
Alas, my love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously
For I have loved you well and long
Delighting in your company
Greensleeves was all my joy
Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves was my heart of gold
And who but my lady greensleeves
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]
I have been ready at your hand
To grant whatever you would crave
I have both wagered life and land
Your love and good-will for to have
[Chorus]
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/oSbCp2M