Scarborough Fair的歌曲原型来自The Elfin Knight (Child #2)，即“妖精骑士”（查尔德民歌集第二号），最早见诸记载是在英格兰1673年。这首民谣主要流传于英伦三岛和爱尔兰，在美国东部一些州和加拿大西部地区也有传唱的记载。在不同记载中不同的歌词版本有近20种，不同的歌名也有十多种。歌名为Scarborough Fair的版本见于十九世纪。尽管如此，歌曲最初的内容情节大体相似，只是越到近代原来的情节线索越不明显，妖精骑士的身份被淡化甚至去除。下面就是最初版本的The Elfin Knight歌词。
My plaid awa, my plaid awa,
And ore the hill and far awa,
And far awa to Norrowa,
My plaid shall not be blown awa.
The elphin knight sits on yon hill,
Ba, ba, ba, lilli ba
He blaws his horn both lewd and shril.
The wind hath blown my plaid awa
He blowes it east, he blowes it west,
He blowes it where he lyketh best.
I wish that horn were in my kist,
Yea, and the knight in my armes two.’
She had no sooner these words said,
When that the knight came to her bed.
Thou art over young a maid,’ quoth he,
’Married with me thou il wouldst be.’
I have a sister younger than I,
And she was married yesterday.
Married with me if thou wouldst be,
A courtesie thou must do to me.
For thou must shape a sark to me,
Without any cut or heme,’ quoth he.
Thou must shape it knife-and-sheerlesse,
And also sue it needle-threedlesse.’
If that piece of courtesie I do to thee,
Another thou must do to me.
I have an aiker of good ley-land,
Which lyeth low by yon sea-strand.
For thou must eare it with thy horn,
So thou must sow it with thy corn.
And bigg a cart of stone and lyme,
Robin Redbreast he must trail it hame.
Thou must barn it in a mouse-hell,
And thrash it into thy shoes sell.
And thou must winnow it in thy looff,
And also seek it in thy glove.
For thou must bring it over the sea,
And thou must bring it dry home to me.
When thou hast gotten thy turns well done,
Then come to me and get thy sark then.’
I’llnot quite my plaid for my life;
It haps my seven bairns and my wife.’
The wind shall not blow my plaid awa
My maidenhead I’1 then keep still,
Let the elphin knight do what he will.’
The wind’s not blown my plaid awa
歌词大意：妖精骑士与一位相好的姑娘调侃，他答应娶姑娘，但她必须做到一系列不可能做到的事情；而姑娘答应做到这些事情，但矮骑士必须先做到她要求的种种无法实现之事。
1810年版本中的此部分既保留了原歌曲的主要情节，又接近今天我们听到的 Scarborough Fair的内容，大意为：你能否为我做一件亚麻衬衣，但不能有褶缝和针角？濯洗于远方的枯井，晾于从未开花的荆棘？好，你提了三个问题请先回答我的问题，能否为我在沙海之间找一方土地？用羊角耕地，播一粒胡椒种，收割以皮镰刀，束以孔雀羽？做完了这些事你再来取你的亚麻衬衣。
而我们今天听到的Simon & Garfunkel的演唱录制于1965年，相互诘问的情节已支离破碎，很难看出，读起来倒像是昔日情人间的私语。另外妖精骑士完全消失，主人公可以引申为一般的普通人。这是这首古老民歌被赋予新意的所在，全部是Paul Simon加入或更改的词句。
