Did Henry VIII write Greensleeves? A song for Anne Boleyn perhaps? It is unlikely as it's based on an Italian style of composition that did not reach England until after Henry VIII's death, but the rumours persist.
'Greensleeves' undeniably one of the most enduringly popular English folk songs, and one that has been regularly harnessed over the years by artists from all sorts of disciplines ranging from the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams to the team behind the American television series Lassie.
'Greensleeves' 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
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]
Main image: My Lady Greensleeves © Dante Gabriel Rossetti, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons