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Written by | Traditional |
Date | 19th Century |

The song's lyrics referenced in The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence
"Scarborough Fair" was a large and complicated production number in episode 511 of The Muppet Show. Paul Simon sings the melody while playing a lute and strolling through a Renaissance fair, complete with musicians, maypoles, and sheep. Miss Piggy chimes in with the "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" line in each verse; she begins the song in her sweetest voice, but is bellowing by the last verse. Scooter plays a flute. Fozzie Bear wanders by and recites the nursery rhyme "Simple Simon met a pieman." At the end of the number, Link Hogthrob, as the sheriff, arrests Paul for "playing a lute without a license."
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had a hit with the same 19th-century version of this traditional song set in counterpart to the anti-war "Canticle" that they wrote themselves; it was the title track on their 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. It was featured in the 1967 hit film The Graduate.
References[]
- In the Sesame Street song "Grow High Grow Low", Ernie wonders where parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme grow.
- In the Abby's Flying Fairy School episode "Trolliamsberg", Gonnigan exclaims "Holy parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme!" when he hears Garfunkel the Griffin will be performing.
Releases[]
- Video
- Muppet Treasures (1985)