Strawberry Fair is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 folk song

Folk music of England

Folk music of England refers to various types of traditionally based music, often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music, for which evidence exists from the later medieval period. It has been preserved and transmitted orally, through print and later through recordings...

 (Roud Folk Song Index

Roud Folk Song Index

The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...

 http://library.efdss.org/cgi-bin/query.cgi?index_roud=on&cross=off&type=Song&access=off&op_9=or&field_9=&op_12=or&field_12=&op_13=or&field_13=&op_14=or&field_14=&op_15=or&field_15=&op_47=or&field_47=&op_16=or&field_16=&op_0=or&field_0=&op_17=or&field_17=&op_10=or&field_10=&op_11=or&field_11=&op_18=or&field_18=&op_19=or&field_19=&op_20=or&field_20=&op_21=or&field_21=&op_22=or&field_22=&op_23=or&field_23=&op_24=or&field_24=&op_5=or&field_5=&op_25=or&field_25=&op_26=or&field_26=&fieldshow=single&op=precise&query=strawberry+fair&field=9&output=Record&length=5&submit=Submit+query173]).

The song was collected by H. Fleetwood Sheppard in Broadstone, Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

 in 1891. The text may have been re-written by Sabine Baring Gould and Fleetwood Sheppard.

Lyrics

As I was going to Strawberry Fair,

Singing, singing, Butter-cups and Daisies

I met a maiden taking her ware,

Fol-de-dee!

Her eyes were blue and golden her hair,

As she went on to Strawberry Fair,

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-li-do,

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-dee.

"Kind Sir, pray pick of my basket!" she said,

Singing, singing, Butter-cups and Daisies

"My cherries ripe, or my roses red,

Fol-de-dee!

My strawberries sweet, I can of them spare,

As I go on to Strawberry Fair."

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-li-do,

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-dee.

I want to purchase a generous heart,

Singing, singing, Butter-cups and Daisies

A tongue that neither is nimble or tart.

Tol-de-dee!

An honest mind, but such trifles are rare

I doubt if they're found at Strawberry Fair.

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-li-do,

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-dee.

The price I offer, my sweet pretty maid

Singing, singing, Butter-cups and Daisies

A ring of gold on your finger displayed,

Tol-de-dee!

So come- make over to me your ware,

In church today at Strawberry Fair.

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-li-do,

Ri-fol, Ri-fol, Tol-de-riddle-dee.

Versions

• A version was recorded by Anthony Newley
  Anthony Newley
  Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
  
  (Decca F11295, 1960, "Strawberry Fair/ A Boy Without A Girl") which reached number 3 in the UK Charts. The beginning is the same as the traditional version, but then the rest is altered for humorous effect, for example: I told her straight / I want a girl with a generous heart / (Singing, singing buttercups and oojahs) / Without a tongue that is wicked or smart / (Foldadee) / And an honest mind but these are rare / I doubt If I'll find 'em at this crummy old fair / (Rifle, Rifle, Tolderiddleay)". In the same year, Newley also performed a shortened version of this arrangement in episode 5 of his surreal comedy show The Strange World of Gurney Slade.