What Does Leaving Green Sleeves Mean?

[Tri-me]

Greensleeves was (allegedly) written for Ann Boylen by Henry VIII who avoided becoming his mistress until she had a firm commitment from him, that they would marry when his divorce from Katheryn of Aragon happened. Ann had a thing for scarlett or green dresses. Ali

This is what I have always thought, but hey, he was a King in those days he may have taken credit for many things he did not do. You can hear the song (without lyrics) on this site.
http://www.empire.k12.ca.us/capistrano/ ... ves[1].mid
There is a book about it..

Description:
Who really wrote the age old classic song "Greensleeves"? You know, the one we sing at Christmastime, "What Child Is This?". Was it King Henry VIII who wrote the song, as legend says?? Did he write a tawdry song to his daughter Queen Elizabeth to taunt her about his love affair with her mother Queen Jane Seymour??? THIS BOOK WILL CLEAR UP ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS GREAT SONG. With multiple proofs from many sources Dr. Miller shows the real truth about Greensleeves. The findings are quite revealing!

http://www.lulu.com/content/152516

[lizzytysh]

WoW ~ Sounds like an expose ! The song has a mysterious melody to it, as well ~ so all this intrigue surrounding it is replicated in its sound. I look forward to reading this when I have some time, Tri-me. Thanks.

~ Lizzy

[margaret]

Tri me quoted

There is a book about it..
Quote:
Description:
Who really wrote the age old classic song "Greensleeves"? You know, the one we sing at Christmastime, "What Child Is This?". Was it King Henry VIII who wrote the song, as legend says?? Did he write a tawdry song to his daughter Queen Elizabeth to taunt her about his love affair with her mother Queen Jane Seymour??? THIS BOOK WILL CLEAR UP ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS GREAT SONG. With multiple proofs from many sources Dr. Miller shows the real truth about Greensleeves. The findings are quite revealing!

http://www.lulu.com/content/152516

I wonder where this Dr Miller studied English history Jane Seymour was definitely not the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, it was Anne Boleyn

margaret

[Tri-me]

Maybe a typo? Jane was the woman he lusted for while married to Anne Boleyn? I only know the history through documentaries and movies. From what I remember Anne was a very intelligent woman.

After reading the quote again it is bad info rather than typo.

[Red Poppy]

Hey aren't all women intelligent, wise, clever................?
Red Poppy

[Nightstalker]

From the URL:

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/1 ... ryfaq.html

Q: Did Henry write Greensleeves for Anne Boleyn?
A: This is, unfortunately, probably not the case.There has been a legend that Henry wrote Greensleeves since the late 16th century, when Greensleeves appeared in a collection of songs called A Handful of Pleasant Delights, printed in 1584. In this book, Greensleeves is described as "a courtly sonnet to the Lady Greensleeves, to the new tune of Greensleeves". Shakespeare also mentions Greensleeves. This was many years after Henry's death, and no previous mention of the tune or poem has been found in earlier works -- nor has it been found among Henry's manuscripts. Also, there are some musical intervals in Greensleeves that were not used in Henry's time. For these reasons, most historians and musicians feel that Henry did not write the song that we know as Greensleeves.But there are those who do believe that he did, as there has been considerable mention of him having done so in biographies and historical fiction based in the Tudor period. The legend is a strong one, and there is some evidence that the "new tune of Greensleeves" may have been based on an old Welsh lullaby. Henry VIII was part Welsh, and very proud of that heritage, as was his father, Henry VII. It is possible that Henry might have set a poem to the Welsh lullaby that Greensleeves seems to be based on.

Who knows? I researched this years before the internet on a whim and believe that the basic tune originated long before Henry VIII. It's author is likely as lost to history as who was actually Artuer (King Arther). For some strange reason everytime that I think of Greensleeves, I simultaneously remember one of my favorite English poems (which I first found in an English anthology and slightly altered there when I was 13 years old) by an unknown author:


XCIV. "My Love in her attire doth show her wit"

3

MY Love in her attire doth show her wit,
It doth so well become her:
For every season she hath dressings fit,
For Winter, Spring, and Summer.
No beauty she doth miss 5
When all her robes are on;
But Beauty's self she is
When all her robes are gone.



"...to see you over there, specially from the ........" or "...your body and your mind......" How I do love the images all these words create!

[Ali]

Hey Nightstalker,
I know the attribution history gives to Henry V111 writing Greensleeves is probably bunk (hence the allegedly I used in my posting) but dont you think it is a romantic historical notion? It kind of evens up the balance a bit to think of the courtly lover rather than the syphillitic, murdering despot he became in later years when things weren't quite going his way? What wonderful research for you to do on such an interesting subject. I would love to talk more with you on it.

[Red Poppy]

Very like that Henry stole the tune - he stole everything else - wives; mistresses; land; monasteries; tracts in Ireland....why not a tune!
Red Poppy

[lizzytysh]

Great point, Red Poppy !

[lightning]

That's the "folk process"--adapting familiar tunes, not stealing them. People weren't so copyright crazy back then, probably. Traditional and Anonymous were the great songwriters. Until recently people sang together, not just stars on the stage that everybody stared at and hero worshipped.

[Tri-me]

This one is for Jo.
Moe Koffman played Green Sleeves for me one night at George's Spaghetti House in Toronto.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George's_Spaghetti_House
Might have been 1986, he played there often. George's was, to me, the most romantic place in town. There was a note on the door requesting people not talk during the jazz as the patrons were there to hear the music. If I ever went there alone , the Portugese waitors would take care of me, a younge woman on her own could get in trouble they would joke.
I worked in the office and as a hostesses at a French Restaurant Le Papillon. A very handsome, nice single man from Quebec had been hired in the kitchen. ROBERTO he was Italian too, wow French and Italian wrapped up in one. I rememberd seeing him asleep on a bench on Front Street before he was hired and thinking cute. It was a pleasure to help him with his paperwork after he was hired. At the end of our shifts we were allowed to have two drinks at the bar before we went home. Roberto and I were talking about what people do in the evenings. I told him about Georges, he wanted to go. What a coup.
Moe just so happened to be there that night. Could it get any better? The conversation was interesting I guess, I can't remember, all I remember is his face, his lightly tanned face, his perfect white teeth, his brown hair with copper highlights. After we finished our supper he thought it would be nice to have zabaion, I had never had this. It was taking a long time to come, because it has raw eggs in it it has to be made a la minute, he said it's ok this is nice. I know he said something like that, because I remember thinking wow wow wow.
What came next was even better. Roberto ahhh Roberto bought me a copy on Moe's album One Moe Time. Before Moe returned to the stage he came to our table to meet us, he signed my album and I asked him to play Green Sleeves for me. He said he would see what he could do. In the middle of the set he said he had just recorded this song, but he would play it for me anyway. This was so amazing, the best date I had ever been on. I was thinking that Roberto must like me, kewl.
After the last set we prepared to go home. "So, a night out in Toronto you must be liking it here a bit more?"
"Yes, Toronto is good, but I have no woman here have to find a way to meet women."
He didn't even see me home, I caught a street car, he went to the subway. He dated three women who worked at our restaurant. Oh well, now I get a good laugh thinking about it.

[lizzytysh]

Being a friend is good, too ... but a little disappointing when you have your hopes set on more ... very disappointing by the end of that wonderful night. "Yes, Roberto, if only you could meet women... "

Ah... three women at one restaurant ~ he was a player, anyway. You were spared the bigger disappointments, in lieu of the smaller one. Life really is fair sometimes, isn't it ? Meanwhile, nice visual description of him .

~ Lizzy

[Red Poppy]

Indeed, Lightning. But then young Zimmerman would have done the same recently. Funny, talking Henry viii over the years - like Cromwell, views are coloured very much by the history of the country you grew up in. I have friends who think Oliver Cromwell was a liberator from royalty -whereas those of us who read history in Ireland would see him as the opposite.
Anyway - Greensleeves - both versions! - is/are a great song/songs!

[lizzytysh]

Hi Tri-me ~

Is that a photo of or resembling, the young man you were speaking of? It's just about how I imagined him, just slightly lighter hair in my mind. In any case, gorgeous !

~ Lizzy

[margaret]

Looks like Johnny Depp to me!

Margaret