Scarborough Fair – Fingerstyle Guitar Tab

The sheet music below is a fingerstyle solo guitar tab for “Scarborough Fair.” The chords and lyrics for the song are also included with the tablature.

Scarborough Fair

The fair at Scarborough was a trading fair that ran from 1253 until 1788. “Scarborough Fair” is a traditional English ballad from the 1800s. With roots in a lyrically similar Scottish balled called “The Eflin Knight,” dating from 1670 or earlier.

The video below demonstrates the solo arrangement of “Scarborough Fair.”

Scarborough Fair – Guitar Tab

This is the fingerstyle solo guitar arrangement of “Scarborough Fair,” as shown in the video above. The complete tab is available as a PDF.

I like to learn the melody first (the high notes on the tab below), then the chords as shown in the chord diagrams, and then finally the solo guitar arrangement. Try the bass line on its own as well to get the feel of the rhythm.

Scarborough Fair - Solo Guitar Tab

Download “Scarborough Fair” Guitar Tab (2 Pages) as a PDF

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History & Lyrics

The lyrics are about a man’s list of tasks for a woman, such as making him a shirt without seams and then washing it in a dry well. If she is able to perform these impossible tasks she will be a true love of his. It is also sung with the female asking the impossible of him during the second half of the song.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 Remember me to the one who lives there,
 For once she was a true love of mine.
 
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 Without any seam or needlework,
 Then she shall be a true love of mine.

 Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 Where never sprung water or rain ever fell,
 And she shall be a true lover of mine.
 
Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
 Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
Now he has asked me questions three,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 I hope he'll answer as many for me,
 Before he shall be a true lover of mine.
 
Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 Between the salt water and the sea sand,
 Then he shall be a true lover of mine.

 Tell him to plough it with a ram's horn,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
 And he shall be a true lover of mine.
 
Tell him to sheer't with a sickle of leather,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
 And bind it up with a peacock's feather,
 And he shall be a true lover of mine.

 Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
 And never let one corn of it fall,
 Then he shall be a true lover of mine.

 When he has done and finished his work.
 Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme:
 Oh, tell him to come and he'll have his shirt,
 And he shall be a true lover of mine.

For more on the history and lyrics of this ballad see the Wikipedia article on the subject here.

Scarborough Fair – Sheet Music

The sheet music for “Scarborough Fair” is a 1-page lead sheet with the chords, melody, and the first verse.

The complete lyrics are as written above on a separate page – the melody is the same for each verse.

This lead sheet is free online but also available for purchase as a PDF to support the website. Thank you for your purchases.

Scarborough Fair - Sheet Music

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