By Hannah Nepilova

Published: Tuesday, 27 December 2022 at 12:00 am


With such a wide choice available, how can we possibly narrow down the entire body of English folksongs to just ten of the best?

Answer: with a great deal of head-scratching. See for yourself what you think of our selections, and whether we’ve left any crucial contenders off our list.

Best English folk songs

 Scarborough Fair

Though many people know this song from Simon & Garfunkel, it actually predates them by several hundred years, with roots that go all the way back to the Middle Ages.
Its lyrics, referring to an old market fair in Yorkshire that started sometime in the 14th century, are beautifully poetic:  a young man delegates impossible tasks to his former lover, demanding that she complete them before she comes back to him.
In return she requests impossible things of him, saying she will perform her tasks when he performs his. It’s an eloquent expression of yearning, of insecurity, of lovers talking and acting at cross-purposes. But the soul of this song really rests in its haunting melody.

Oh No John

With its mention of tying garters, wandering hands and crowing cocks, amongst other indiscretions, this saucy little song was originally deemed problematic.

It wasn’t until Cecil Sharp, the famous Edwardian folksong collector, came along, that it won widespread favour with the public. He cleaned it up, removing its two naughtiest verses, then published it in Novello’s School Songs. It has since become one of England’s most popular folk songs, sung in multiple arrangements and recorded by a wide range of pop and folk artists.