by Vitriola » Mon Dec 25, 2006 12:59 pm
One version:
1: Alas my love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously
And I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company
Ch: Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who, but my Lady Greensleeves
2: I have been ready at your hand
To grant whatever thou wouldst crave
I have waged both life and land
Your love and goodwill for to have
(Ch)
3: Thy petticoat of sattin white
With gold embroidered gorgeously
Thy petticoat of silken white
And these I bought thee gladly
(Ch)
Another version, which does not include at all one of the stanzas to the last version:
(poss. Henry VIII of England, 1500's.)
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.
chorus
And these aren't either one the version I was taught in elementary school, which went rather like this:
Alas my love, ye do me wrong,
to cast me off discourteously:
And I have loved oh you so long
Delighting in your companie.
One version:
1: Alas my love, you do me wrong
To cast me off discourteously
And I have loved you oh so long
Delighting in your company
Ch: Greensleeves was my delight
Greensleeves my heart of gold
Greensleeves was my heart of joy
And who, but my Lady Greensleeves
2: I have been ready at your hand
To grant whatever thou wouldst crave
I have waged both life and land
Your love and goodwill for to have
(Ch)
3: Thy petticoat of sattin white
With gold embroidered gorgeously
Thy petticoat of silken white
And these I bought thee gladly
(Ch)
Another version, which does not include at all one of the stanzas to the last version:
(poss. Henry VIII of England, 1500's.)
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.
chorus
And these aren't either one the version I was taught in elementary school, which went rather like this:
Alas my love, ye do me wrong,
to cast me off discourteously:
And I have loved oh you so long
Delighting in your companie.