As we marched down to Faneri-o
As we marched down to Faneri-o
Our captain fell in love with a lady like a dove
And they called her name, pretty Peggy-o

Come a runnin' down the stairs, pretty Peggy-o
Come a runnin' down the stairs, pretty Peggy-o
Come a runnin' down the stairs, combin' back your yellow hair
You're the prettiest little girl I've ever seen-o

In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy-o
In a carriage you will ride, pretty Peggy-o
In a carriage you will ride, with your true love by your side
As far as any maiden in the are-o

What will your mother say, pretty Peggy-o?
What will your mother say, pretty Peggy-o?
What will your mother say, when she finds you've gone away
To places far and strange to Faneri-o?

If ever I return, pretty Peggy-o
If ever I return, pretty Peggy-o
If ever I return, all your cities I will burn
Destroying all the ladies in the are-o
Destroying all the ladies in the are-o


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Peggy-O Lyrics as written by Paul Simon Arthur Garfunkel

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Peggy-O song meanings
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  • +1
    Song Meaning

    It is taken from a traditional Scottish song 'There was a troop of Irish dragoons, came marchin' doon fi Fyvie oh ! ....' The general 'plot' of the song being the captain of the troop being enchanted by this golden haired girl (Peggy) and offering her father various inducements to let the girl go with him (ribbons, necklace of amber, pretty petticoats etc). The father agrees but the girl doesn't and the captain dies of a broken heart ...

    BrotherLouon March 28, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    someone has to explain this song to me

    GetNiceJ420on February 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    oh yea... although S&G do a great version of this song the dead really mastered this song but thats just my opinion

    GetNiceJ420on February 10, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I honestly love this song...But I don't get it. So..What happens? Captain falls in love, and burns the cities??

    Soul wanderon July 25, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Captain loves a girl. Girl spurns Captian. If pissed Captian returns, he'll burn cities in revenge.

    Thats more or less it.

    AntBMSUon October 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    lol i dont know what this song is about but it always mackes me happy

    highlander924on March 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I remember reading that this song is an adaption of a Scottish poem, wherein a military man (A captain) finds himself in a town and falls in love with a young girl, presumably during wartime. The song starts with the point of view of the captain's comrades, then shifts to the captain's viewpoint from the fifth line onwards. The poem continues in this first stanza to show the love of the captain for this girl.

    In the second stanza, there is evidence of the captain's hopeful marriage to the girl, with the reference to her riding in a carriage with her true love. The second half of this stanza brings to light the conflict that is central to the song; the girl’s mother. What will the girl's mother say when she finds her daughter has married a soldier and left the town during wartime? She'll be pretty annoyed. Note the future tense of this second half of the stanza.

    There appears to be a lot of information missing between the second and the last stanza, but it can be assumed that the last stanza reflects the feelings of the captain after being denied marriage to the girl by her mother. The extremely violent imagery shows just how enraged the captain is; he'd burn the city to the ground if he ever bothered to return, destroying all the women like a pouting child destroys a rosebush that it has been pricked by.

    SandBox11111on October 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Also, this song is like most songs by simon and garfunkel in that the happy melody hides a somewhat depressing lyrical meaning. See "the sun is burning in the sky" for a straightforward example

    SandBox11111on October 10, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes this one is originally a poem-perhaps a Scottish one..but this cover is so b'tful..Art sings it so very well...hats off..to Simon and Garfunkel

    pranav ojhaon August 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yes this one is originally a poem-perhaps a Scottish one..but this cover is so b'tful..Art sings it so very well...hats off..to Simon and Garfunkel

    pranav ojhaon August 15, 2008   Link

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