Greensleeves: a brief history
Believed to be composed in the late 16th/early 17th century, ‘Greensleeves’ never began it’s many incarnations as a Christmas song. It was only until William Chatterton Dix wrote the carol What Child Is This (set to the Greensleeves tune) in 1865 — that this traditional English folk motif became a seasonal song.
There is a legend that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen Anne Boleyn. Allegedly, she rejected King Henry’s attempts to seduce her, and this rejection is referred to in the lyric, she cast me off discourteously.
Another interpretation of the lyrics is that, Lady Green Sleeves, was a promiscuous young woman or a prostitute. “Green” referring to the grass stains on her dress from crudely rendered services.
Some believe that Lady Green Sleeves was not promiscuous, as she levels a “discourteous” rejection toward the storyteller’s advances. However, it remains that Greensleeves is a beautiful and classic hymn, whose author and intent will always be a mystery.
Greensleeves is available on all streaming services:
How to play Greensleeves in D Minor | fingerstyle guitar
While Greensleeves is very easy to play in its A minor variation — my D minor version breathes a little life into an old classic. It’s an appropriate “next step” for practicing guitarists. I recommend it for intermediate guitar players and up.
Enjoy, the tab is available below:
The guitar tab is very short and barely two pages long. Essentially, there’s an intro and one long passage (comprising the verse and chorus) that’s played 2x.
[guitar tab] **Greensleeves in D Minor | fingerstyle guitar
Greensleeves is played in standard tuning.