Greensleeves

Tudor courtship tune

Greensleeves is an English folk song dating to the Renaissance, built on a melancholy melody in a minor key.

The lyrics address a woman who has rejected the singer's love: Alas, my love, you do me wrong / To cast me off discourteously.

The tune has been adapted for carols, most famously "What Child Is This?" The title may refer to a promiscuous woman—green supposedly signifying sexual looseness—though this is disputed.

song

ballad

Narrative poem or song

melodyPleasing sequence of notes
TudorSixteenth-century English ruling family
refrainAbstain from acting

lyrics · folk song · lute · madrigal · verse · courtship · lament · minstrel · minor key · traditional

cultural

variations

Modified versions of something

jazz standardEssential repertoire piece
orchestralFor a symphony ensemble
arrangementsOrganized plans or configurations

covers · recordings · instrumental · classical guitar · harp · film score · recognizable · iconic · timeless · repertoire

HenryVIII

Anne Boleyn

Tudor courtEnglish Renaissance monarchy circle
apocryphalUnverified and probably untrue
legendUnverified traditional tale

authorship · courtly love · rejection · monarch · attribution · six wives · romanticism · palace · unrequited

Christmas

carol

Festive seasonal song

hymnReligious song of praise
mangerLivestock feeding container
holidayDay of rest

church · worship · Bethlehem · sacred · Christian · festive · adaptation · choir · reverent

Greensleeves

ballad

variations

Anne Boleyn

carol

Greensleeves

Opposites

Categories

Family