Author Topic: Add: Greensleeves

dmcg

 Posted - 06 Oct 04 - 10:19 am
Alas, my love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously,
And I have lov-ed you so 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.

I have been ready at your hand
TO grant whatever you would crave;
I have both wagered life and land,
Your love and goodwill for to have.

I brought thee kerchers to thy head,
That were wrought fine and gallantly;
I kept thee both at board and bed,
Which cost my purse well favouredly.

Well, I will pray to God on high,
That thou my constantcy may'st see;
For I am still thy lover true;
Come once again, and love me.




Source: Singing Together, Spring 1968, BBC Publications


Notes:

These are the notes printed in the pamphlet:

This tune is best known today in Vaughan Williams' arrangement for small orchestra. He also arranged it as a song in his opera Sir John in Love, and you will be singing it to the accompaniment Vaughan Williams wrote for it. Another version of the melody comes in Holst's "Dargason", the last movement of his suite St Paul's. The song is an old one, well known in shakespeare's day, and there are several country dance tunes very like it.


========

My first reaction was not to add this to the database because it is so well-known. However, there are still enough things about it to make me decide to put it in.

To begin with, I believe the tune to be Locrian. (I am very mediocre when handling modes, so I could easily be wrong.) Certainly there is something interesting going on with modes, evidenced by the fight between the key signature and the naturals on the individual notes. Given the dominance of the major/minor in classical music, it is interesting to see nationally recognised tunes that don't fit that regime.

There is a song by Alex Glasgow called "Georgie the Professional" in which a Tynesider moves to London and only becomes a success when he gives up trying to adopt Southern ways. But he's not that much of a Geordie either:

He sings the 'Blaydon Races' (which he needed to rehearse),
But cannot quite remember if there is a second verse.

There is something similar going on with this song. My guess if that very many people could give you the first verse and chorus fairly accurately, but that very few would know any of the other verses.






dmcg

 Posted - 06 Oct 04 - 11:00 am
Looking through old Mudcat threads on this song, Bruce O contributed this set of lyrics (plus comments!)

=====

Well here it is. My fame is now assured. I will be forever know as the one that contributed the worst song to the DT. I forgot how to indent in HTML. Indent even numbered lines 2 letter spaces and the chorus 4.

A new Courtly Sonet, of the Lady Green
sleeues. To the new tune of Greensleeues.


Greensleeues was all my ioy,
Greensleeues was my delight:
Greenslues was my heart of gold,
And who but Ladie Greensleeues.


Alas my loue, ye do me wrong,
to cast me off discurteously:
And I haue loued you so long,
Delighting in your companie.
Greensleeues was all my ioy,
Greensleeues was my delight:
Greensleeues was my heart of gold,
And who but Ladie Greensleeues.


I haue been readie at our hand,
to grant what euer you wold crave.
I haue both waged life and land.
your loue and good will for to haue.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


I bought thee kerchers to thy head,
that were wrought fine and gallantly:
I kept thee both a boord and bed, [wow! lewd!]
Which cost my purse wel fauouredly,
Greensleeues was al my ioie, &c.


I bought thee peticotes of the best,
the cloth so fine as fine might be:
I gaue thee jewels for thy chest,
and all this cost I spent on thee.
Greensleeues was all my ioie, &c.


Thy smock of silk, both faire and white,
with gold embrodered gorgeously:
Thy peticote of Sendall right:
and thus I bought thee gladly.
Greensleeues was all my ioie, &c.


Thy girdle of gold so red,
with pearle bedecked sumptuously:
The like no other lasses had,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me,
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Thy purse and eke thy gay guilt kniues,
thy pincaase gallant to thy eie:
No better wore the Burgesse wiues,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Thy crimson stockings all of silk,
with golde all wrought aboue the knee,
Thy pumps as white as was the milk,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Thy gown was of the grossie green,
thy sleuees of Satten hanging by:
Which made thee be our haruest Queen,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Thy garters fringed with the golde,
And siluer aglets hanging by,
Which made thee blithe for to beholde,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


My gayest gelding I thee gaue,
To ride where euer liked thee,
No Ladie euer was so braue,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


My men were clothed all in green,
And they did euer wait on thee:
Al this was gallant to be seen,
and yet thous wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


They wet thee vp, they took thee downe,
they serued thee with humilitie,
Thy foote might not once touch the ground,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


For euerie morning when thou rose,
I sent thee dainties orderly:
To cheare thy stomack from all woes,
and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Thou couldst desire no earthly thing. [,]
But stil thou hadst it readily:
Thy musicke still to play and sing,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


And who did pay for all this geare,
that thou didst spend when pleased thee?
Euen I that am rejected here,
and thou disdainst to loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Wel, I wil pray to God on hie,
that thou my constancie maist see:
And that yet once before I die,
thou wilt vouchsafe to loue me.
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c.


Greensleeues now farewell adue, [finally, he's run out
God I Pray to prosper thee: [of things to complaint
For I am still thy louer true, [about. At this point we
come once againe and loue me. [can only congratulate her for
Greensleeues was all my ioy, &c. [dumping such a whiner.]
Finis





masato sakurai

 Posted - 06 Oct 04 - 03:43 pm
That set of verses is from A Handful of Pleasant Delights [orig. A Handefull of pleasant delites] (1584), by Clement Robinson and Divers Others. Hyder E. Rollins' edition (1924) was reprinted by Dover Publications in 1965; "Greensleeues" (text only) is on pp. 19-22.






masato sakurai

 Posted - 07 Jun 07 - 08:49 am
A handful of pleasant delights, containing sundry new sonnets and delectable histories in divers kinds of metre &c. 1584. [By] Clement Robinson and divers others. Edited by Edward Arber (1878) is available online too at Internet Archive. "A new Courtly Sonet, of the Lady Green sleeues" is on pp. 17-20.



Browse Titles: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z