💚 Greensleeves - Aggressively Devastating Love 💚
"A Strikingly Dark Re-Imagining"
Arguably one of the most famous English folk songs in history, "Greensleeves" is a haunting melody that has survived for over four centuries.
In this striking re-imagining, I transform the traditional tune into a Macabre Madrigal—a visceral, cinematic descent that deconstructs a legacy of longing into a narrative of betrayal and eventual darkness.
💚 The Transformation
This version is no longer a polite folk song; it is a Tudor Tragedy played out in slow motion.
I have stripped away the "sad puppy" energy of the original and replaced it with a much more dangerous, toxic resentment.
By pivoting from the "sad but devoted" lens toward a narrative of aggressive devastation, the arrangement captures the curdled bitterness of a love that has turned truly lethal.
💚 The Sound & Narrative
The arrangement bridges the gap between 16th-century courtly prose and a sharp, modern linguistic fracture, creating a noir-inspired atmosphere that feels both ancient and arrestingly current.
By evolving from simple unrequited longing into themes of existential despair, the story moves from a life of love to a haunting after-life.
This expansion honors the song's 400-year history while plunging it into the raw, jagged intensity of the present day.
By 𝄞SunsetPiano 2/1/2026 1156
Lyrics v20 (8 Verses, 3 Chorus) Intro, Title, and Description v10
🎵🎵
📗 [Phase 1 - Style: Ghostly, Minimalist Piano, Pianissimo, Haunting]
[Verse 1]
Alas my love you do me wrong, To cast me off discourteously.
For I have loved you so long, Delighting in your company.
[Verse 2]
Alas my love it’s such a shame, thy owns a Heart of vanity.
And now, I wander this world alone, all thanks to your insincerity.
💚 [Chorus 1]
Greensleeves you were all my joy, my life, my love and my Delight.
Greensleeves; you were my Heart of Gold, who became my worst nightmare’s Plight.
📗 [Phase 2 - Build: Low piano thrum, Mezzo-Piano, Tension]
[Verse 3]
Your vows, you've broken, like my heart, Oh, why did you so enrapture Me?
'Cause now I live in a world apart, But my heart remains in your Captivity.
[Verse 4]
I always was ready at your hand, To grant whatever your heart shall ask,
I have both wagered life and land, your love for me was only just a mask.
📗 [Phase 3 - Shift: Sudden Staccato, Bitter, Cynical]
[Verse 5]
I bought thee into my private space; I gave my home and all I Had.
I kept thee in my royal bed, gave you jewels for thy breast, I wasn't Bad.
[Verse 6]
Thy gown I gave, was from finest silk, Thy sleeves were laced with Silver Thread;
Thy skin felt soft, and oh so warm, But you’re as cold as stone, in the End.
💚 [Chorus 2]
Greensleeves you were my only Queen, My gift from God, precious love so Fair;
The Love was the Cruelest I hath seen, How dare you leave thy love in Despair.
📗 [Phase 4 - Bridge: Heavy Funeral March, Forte, Deep Bass Octaves]
[Verse 7 Bridge]
The seasons turn from Gold to grey, The winter frost, to me now feels so Kind.
Since you have turned your face away, No sun in my soul doth Shine.
📗 [Phase 5 - Climax: Fortissimo, Gothic Choir, Gates of Hell, Sudden Silence]
💚 [Chorus 3 Climax]
Greensleeves you were my Life, my Breath, my hopes and needs, and soon my Death.
I’ll love her to the Gates of Hell, Though I fear that I’m already There.
📗 [Phase 6 - Style: Ghostly, Minimalist Piano, Pianissimo, Haunting]
[Verse 8 - Outtro]
So fare thee well, my Lady Green, I seek a shore that’s so far from Here.
Your face the fairest I’d ever seen, but inside you’re cold and bitter thorns, Dear.
Composed by 𝄞SunsetPiano 1/31/2026 2127
Custom Lyrics (20)
David W Coon,
@AstronomicalPiano
@SunsetPiano
@Science-God