Chris says: I'm pretty sure everybody knows where this song is from- Greensleeves is a 16th century English folk tune that is generally considered (incorrectly) to have been written by Henry VIII. To quote Wikipedia: "Henry did not compose "Greensleeves", which is probably Elizabethan in origin and is based on an Italian style of composition that did not reach England until after his death." However, this doesn't really matter- Henry VIII is undoubtedly the most popular historical English king due to his larger-than-life personality and his famous number of wives, and it's entirely understandable that such a popular folk tune would be identified with him as part of his lasting myth. We started playing Greensleeves mostly because we felt that it'd be a fun song to finish our live show on- as a tune that everybody knows, it would guarantee that people remembered at least one of our songs! However, we also started playing it because I absolutely love the melodies in Greensleeves- it might be used a hell of a lot in all sorts of places and situations, but as a piece of music, it's just excellent.

Coincidentally, I've been kicking around an arrangement of a folk tune that Henry VIII definitely *did* write, entitled 'Pastyme With Good Company'... it may see the light of day at some point. :D