Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: french
Song Meaning of “Scarborough Fair” by Nolwenn Leroy
Scarborough Fair by Nolwenn Leroy is a song about the traditional British folk ballad of the same name, which is all about a former lover asking impossible favors of their current significant other. The singer in this version wants to prove her feelings and devotion, longing for her former lover to come back to her.
The song starts with the singer asking for her former lover to “remember me,” and she is willing to prove her love by fulfilling a seemingly impossible task. She starts with a request to “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme remember me,” which are all herbs commonly used in traditional recipes. She then makes additional requests for her lover such as to “plow the land and near the sea remember me,” referring to a task of hard labour that harks back to a simpler time.
The singer pleads with her love to come back to her, holding onto hope that if she can fulfill these requests then her former lover will surely come back to her. In the chorus, she professes her love and that all she needs is for her former lover to come back to her and “come true, come true.”
The song’s overall message is one of hopeless longing and devotion, and a plea to prove one’s love through labor and toil that will prove that the love between them is enduring and real.