Greensleeves

Greensleeves

"Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song and tune, a ground of the form called a "romanesca".

A broadside ballad by this name was registered at the London Stationer's Company in 1580 as "A New Northern Dittye of the Lady Greene Sleeves". It then appears in the surviving "A Handful of Pleasant Delights" (1584) as "A New Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green Sleeves. To the new tune of Green sleeves." It remains debatable whether this suggests that an 'old' tune of "Greensleeves" was in circulation, or which one the familiar tune is.

Many surviving sets of lyrics were written to this tune. The tune is also found in several late 16th century and early 17th century sources, such as Ballet's MS Lute Book and Het Luitboek van Thysius, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the Cambridge University libraries.

A widely-believed (but completely unproven) legend is that it was composed by King Henry VIII (1491–1547) for his lover and future queen consort Anne Boleyn. Anne, the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, rejected Henry's attempts to seduce her. This rejection is apparently referred to in the song, when the writer's love "cast me off discourteously."

However, it is most unlikely that King Henry VIII wrote it, as the song is written in a style which was not known in England until after Henry VIII died. [ Alison Weir: "Henry VIII: The King and His Court", page 131, Ballantyne Books, 2002, ISBN 0-34543-708-X]

It is widely thought that Lady Green Sleeves was at the very least a promiscuous young woman and perhaps a prostitute. [ Meg Lota Brown & Kari Boyd McBride: "Women's Roles in the Renaissance", page 101, Greenwood Press, 2005, ISBN 0-31332-210-4] At this time, the word "green" also had sexual connotations, most notably in the phrase "a green gown", a reference to the way that grass stains might be seen on a lady's dress if she had made love outside. Vance Randolph: ""Unprintable" Ozark Folksongs and Folklore, Volume I, Folksongs and Music", page 47, University of Arkansas Press, 1992, ISBN 1-55728-231-5]

An alternative explanation is that Lady Green Sleeves was, as a result of her attire, incorrectly assumed to be immoral. Her "discourteous" rejection of the singer's advances quite clearly makes the point that she is not.

On page 500 of Nevill Coghill's translation of "The Canterbury Tales" [ cite book
last = Chaucer
first = Geoffrey
authorlink = Geoffrey Chaucer
others = trans. Nevill Coghill
title = The Canterbury Tales
origdate =
date = 2003-02-04
publisher = The Penguin Classics Library Complete Collection
location =
language = Middle English
isbn = 0-140-42438-5
] Coghill explains that "green [for Chaucer’s age] was the color of lightness in love. This is echoed in 'Greensleeves is my delight' and elsewhere.".

Lyrics

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.

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"

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

"Chorus"

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"

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"

Well, 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"

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.

Early literary references

In Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor", written around 1602, the character Mistress Ford refers twice without any explanation to "the tune of "Greensleeves," and Falstaff later exclaims::"Let the sky rain potatoes! Let it thunder to the tune of 'Greensleeves'!"

These allusions suggest that the song was already well known at that time.

Musicology

Greensleeves is in Dorian mode, though modern musicians sometimes play it in the natural minor scale instead.Fact|date=May 2008

In popular culture

Covers

* Allan Sherman (Parody titled Sir Greenbaum's Madrigal) - 1962 album "My Son The Folk Singer".
* Elvis Presley - 1968 retitled as "Stay Away" B-side of "U.S. Male"; featured in film "Stay Away Joe".
* Blackmore's Night - debut album "Shadow of the Moon" in 1997.
* Jeff Beck - 1968 album "Truth".
* John Coltrane - album "Africa/Brass".
* Flanders and Swann - "The Greensleeves Monologue Annotated"
* Loreena McKennitt - 1991 album "The Visit".
* Vanessa Carlton - album "Maybe This Christmas".
* Timo Tolkki - 1994 album "Classical Variations and Themes".
* Olivia Newton-John - 1976 album "Come on Over".
* Leonard Cohen - album "New Skin for the Old Ceremony".
* Odetta - album "At the Gate of Horn".
* James Taylor - 1968 debut Album "James Taylor".
* Kevin Max - 2005 album "Holly Night".
* Jethro Tull - 2003 album "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album".

TV

* The Tudors
*As Told By Ginger
* Blackadder II in the episode Bells, as the backing track to a medieval style 'hits compilation' parody
* Pepper Ann
* The Rifleman
* NBC's The Office features Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) playing "Greensleves" to the children on his recorder in the episode Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Schrute states to the children: "That was Greensleves, the english ballad dedicated to the beheaded Anne Boleyn."
* Men Behaving Badly Gary Strang gets put on hold and complains "It's always bloody Greensleeves isn't it?"
* The Worst Week of My Life in episode "Series 1 : Monday" Angela Cook complains about being put on hold and says "If I hear another verse of Greensleeves I'll scream."
* The Simpsons in the episode 'A Star Is Torn', talent show competitor Cameron performs the first two lines to much admiration.
* Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)—in one episode, in which Hilda and Zelda are discussing their former boyfriends, Zelda mentions that the song was written about her.
* Mystery Science Theater 3000 - In episode 806, The Undead, Mike owns a record that plays a slightly altered version of the song sung by movie character, Digger Smolken.
* A Snickers commercial has a group consisting of Henry VIII, a viking, a pilgrim, an islander, and Julius Caesar singing the song while Henry VIII eats a Snickers.
* Lost in Space in the unaired pilot.

Books

*"P.S., I Love You": A running gag throughout the novel is how the tavern Hogan's always plays "Greensleeves" for waiting music.

Media

ee also

*"What Child Is This?"
*"Turandot (Busoni)" where the tune is used in Act2 as if Chinese
* Ralph Vaughan Williams arranged a work entitled "Fantasia on Greensleeves" of the madrigal

References

External links

* [http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ballads/handful.html#green Transcription of "A Handful of Pleasant Delights" (1584)]
* [http://www.8notes.com/scores/7238.asp?ftype=gif On-line piano sheet music for Greensleeves] (GIF)
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/GREEN.htm Andrew Kuntz, "The Fiddler's Companion":] see under Greensleeves [2]
* [http://www.easybyte.org Easybyte] – piano music for Greensleeves / What Child is This
* [http://www.chrisowen.co.uk/ukulele.html Tablature transcription for Ukulele]
* [http://www.guitarchordsmagic.com/guitar-song-chords/greensleeves-guitar-chords.html Greensleeves Sheet Music For Guitar] with tabs

Samples to listen:
* [http://www.empire.k12.ca.us/capistrano/Mike/capmusic/renaissance/Greensleeves%5B1%5D.mid Greensleeves midi]


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