What is the meaning of “Fare thee well”?
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There is a song that I really like and it says "Fare thee well my honey, fare thee well". Could it be something like "good luck my honey"?
I did a little research and found that "fare thee well" means "do something perfectly" but it just doesn't make any sense to me.
meaning
|
show 4 more comments
There is a song that I really like and it says "Fare thee well my honey, fare thee well". Could it be something like "good luck my honey"?
I did a little research and found that "fare thee well" means "do something perfectly" but it just doesn't make any sense to me.
meaning
Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
2
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
2
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
1
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13
|
show 4 more comments
There is a song that I really like and it says "Fare thee well my honey, fare thee well". Could it be something like "good luck my honey"?
I did a little research and found that "fare thee well" means "do something perfectly" but it just doesn't make any sense to me.
meaning
There is a song that I really like and it says "Fare thee well my honey, fare thee well". Could it be something like "good luck my honey"?
I did a little research and found that "fare thee well" means "do something perfectly" but it just doesn't make any sense to me.
meaning
meaning
edited May 29 '18 at 2:42
CJ Dennis
2,12341645
2,12341645
asked May 28 '18 at 23:44
IanIan
11114
11114
Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
2
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
2
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
1
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13
|
show 4 more comments
Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
2
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
2
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
1
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13
Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
2
2
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
2
2
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
1
1
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13
|
show 4 more comments
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
There should be no a real problem with this phrase.
Fare meant in earlier times "to make one's way", "to journey".
Thee is the second person object pronoun (now usually "you").
Well might be thought of as adverbially "good".
Fare thee well means to "live well", "have a good life". Some still used the phrase when I was young. It was used as a valediction when people parted for an extended period. It has been misunderstood because of the idiomatic phrase "to a fare thee well", which came to mean "done perfectly". I think it is clear that meaning came from the idea something was done to a point there was nothing left but to say "goodbye". (Sam beat Fred "to a fare thee well", (perfectly beat him), meaning there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.)
add a comment |
By itself, "fare thee well" a simple phrase of parting, a variant of "farewell" or "farewell [to] thee", and that's what it means in the song lyric. As a phrase "to a fare-thee-well" it means "to an extreme degree".
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
add a comment |
In Dutch there is a similar expression which is 'vaarwel' or 'vaar wel'.
The wording and meaning are so similar that they probably have the same origin. Therefore it may help to compare them.
In Dutch it is a saying of goodby - forever. It means that we will not meet again and I wish you a good journey/life.
'wel' means 'well' as in lucky or in a good way.
The literal meaning of 'vaar' (sounds like 'fare') is 'sail' (as in travel by ship). A secondary meaning is the way your life or business is going.
In this saying it means 'I wish you luck for the rest of your life'.
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
add a comment |
This line is very common in British folk songs. The traditional music resource Mainly Norfolk has several versions of "The Turtle Dove" containing it on this page alone. Not all the versions contain 'fare thee well' but most of them do.
Bob Dylan wrote a song called Farewell (possibly influenced by The Turtle Dove) which contains it; and Robert Burns used it in A Red Red Rose. In all cases it means "goodbye" but carries connotations of goodwill and affection: it would be unlikely that anyone would use it when parting on bad terms.
According to The Online Etymological Dictionary "to a fare thee well" meaning to perfection only dates from the late 19th century and only in the US. As a British person I'd never heard it used that way at all.
add a comment |
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4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
4 Answers
4
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
There should be no a real problem with this phrase.
Fare meant in earlier times "to make one's way", "to journey".
Thee is the second person object pronoun (now usually "you").
Well might be thought of as adverbially "good".
Fare thee well means to "live well", "have a good life". Some still used the phrase when I was young. It was used as a valediction when people parted for an extended period. It has been misunderstood because of the idiomatic phrase "to a fare thee well", which came to mean "done perfectly". I think it is clear that meaning came from the idea something was done to a point there was nothing left but to say "goodbye". (Sam beat Fred "to a fare thee well", (perfectly beat him), meaning there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.)
add a comment |
There should be no a real problem with this phrase.
Fare meant in earlier times "to make one's way", "to journey".
Thee is the second person object pronoun (now usually "you").
Well might be thought of as adverbially "good".
Fare thee well means to "live well", "have a good life". Some still used the phrase when I was young. It was used as a valediction when people parted for an extended period. It has been misunderstood because of the idiomatic phrase "to a fare thee well", which came to mean "done perfectly". I think it is clear that meaning came from the idea something was done to a point there was nothing left but to say "goodbye". (Sam beat Fred "to a fare thee well", (perfectly beat him), meaning there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.)
add a comment |
There should be no a real problem with this phrase.
Fare meant in earlier times "to make one's way", "to journey".
Thee is the second person object pronoun (now usually "you").
Well might be thought of as adverbially "good".
Fare thee well means to "live well", "have a good life". Some still used the phrase when I was young. It was used as a valediction when people parted for an extended period. It has been misunderstood because of the idiomatic phrase "to a fare thee well", which came to mean "done perfectly". I think it is clear that meaning came from the idea something was done to a point there was nothing left but to say "goodbye". (Sam beat Fred "to a fare thee well", (perfectly beat him), meaning there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.)
There should be no a real problem with this phrase.
Fare meant in earlier times "to make one's way", "to journey".
Thee is the second person object pronoun (now usually "you").
Well might be thought of as adverbially "good".
Fare thee well means to "live well", "have a good life". Some still used the phrase when I was young. It was used as a valediction when people parted for an extended period. It has been misunderstood because of the idiomatic phrase "to a fare thee well", which came to mean "done perfectly". I think it is clear that meaning came from the idea something was done to a point there was nothing left but to say "goodbye". (Sam beat Fred "to a fare thee well", (perfectly beat him), meaning there was nothing left to do but say goodbye.)
edited May 29 '18 at 14:04
answered May 29 '18 at 11:26
J. TaylorJ. Taylor
4,49841325
4,49841325
add a comment |
add a comment |
By itself, "fare thee well" a simple phrase of parting, a variant of "farewell" or "farewell [to] thee", and that's what it means in the song lyric. As a phrase "to a fare-thee-well" it means "to an extreme degree".
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
add a comment |
By itself, "fare thee well" a simple phrase of parting, a variant of "farewell" or "farewell [to] thee", and that's what it means in the song lyric. As a phrase "to a fare-thee-well" it means "to an extreme degree".
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
add a comment |
By itself, "fare thee well" a simple phrase of parting, a variant of "farewell" or "farewell [to] thee", and that's what it means in the song lyric. As a phrase "to a fare-thee-well" it means "to an extreme degree".
By itself, "fare thee well" a simple phrase of parting, a variant of "farewell" or "farewell [to] thee", and that's what it means in the song lyric. As a phrase "to a fare-thee-well" it means "to an extreme degree".
answered May 29 '18 at 4:23
tautophiletautophile
439136
439136
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
add a comment |
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
I believe that this is misleading. I believe that “farewell” is a shortened version of “fare thee well”, just as “goodbye” is reportedly an abbreviation of “God be with you” (or maybe “God be with ye”).
– Scott
yesterday
add a comment |
In Dutch there is a similar expression which is 'vaarwel' or 'vaar wel'.
The wording and meaning are so similar that they probably have the same origin. Therefore it may help to compare them.
In Dutch it is a saying of goodby - forever. It means that we will not meet again and I wish you a good journey/life.
'wel' means 'well' as in lucky or in a good way.
The literal meaning of 'vaar' (sounds like 'fare') is 'sail' (as in travel by ship). A secondary meaning is the way your life or business is going.
In this saying it means 'I wish you luck for the rest of your life'.
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
add a comment |
In Dutch there is a similar expression which is 'vaarwel' or 'vaar wel'.
The wording and meaning are so similar that they probably have the same origin. Therefore it may help to compare them.
In Dutch it is a saying of goodby - forever. It means that we will not meet again and I wish you a good journey/life.
'wel' means 'well' as in lucky or in a good way.
The literal meaning of 'vaar' (sounds like 'fare') is 'sail' (as in travel by ship). A secondary meaning is the way your life or business is going.
In this saying it means 'I wish you luck for the rest of your life'.
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
add a comment |
In Dutch there is a similar expression which is 'vaarwel' or 'vaar wel'.
The wording and meaning are so similar that they probably have the same origin. Therefore it may help to compare them.
In Dutch it is a saying of goodby - forever. It means that we will not meet again and I wish you a good journey/life.
'wel' means 'well' as in lucky or in a good way.
The literal meaning of 'vaar' (sounds like 'fare') is 'sail' (as in travel by ship). A secondary meaning is the way your life or business is going.
In this saying it means 'I wish you luck for the rest of your life'.
In Dutch there is a similar expression which is 'vaarwel' or 'vaar wel'.
The wording and meaning are so similar that they probably have the same origin. Therefore it may help to compare them.
In Dutch it is a saying of goodby - forever. It means that we will not meet again and I wish you a good journey/life.
'wel' means 'well' as in lucky or in a good way.
The literal meaning of 'vaar' (sounds like 'fare') is 'sail' (as in travel by ship). A secondary meaning is the way your life or business is going.
In this saying it means 'I wish you luck for the rest of your life'.
answered May 29 '18 at 12:18
user24119user24119
311
311
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
add a comment |
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
Vaarwel is the Dutch equivalent of farewell, which is not quite the same as fare thee well (‘vare [het] jou wel’). Specifically, farewell and fare thee well are historically two different constructions using two different meanings of the verb fare (imperative ‘get on, manage’ vs. subjunctive ‘happen, turn out’). Also, Dutch varen meaning specifically ‘sail’ is a narrowing of the meaning that occurred within Dutch itself. The original base meaning, and still the current one in English, German, and the North Germanic languages, is simply ‘go, travel, move’.
– Janus Bahs Jacquet
May 29 '18 at 14:30
add a comment |
This line is very common in British folk songs. The traditional music resource Mainly Norfolk has several versions of "The Turtle Dove" containing it on this page alone. Not all the versions contain 'fare thee well' but most of them do.
Bob Dylan wrote a song called Farewell (possibly influenced by The Turtle Dove) which contains it; and Robert Burns used it in A Red Red Rose. In all cases it means "goodbye" but carries connotations of goodwill and affection: it would be unlikely that anyone would use it when parting on bad terms.
According to The Online Etymological Dictionary "to a fare thee well" meaning to perfection only dates from the late 19th century and only in the US. As a British person I'd never heard it used that way at all.
add a comment |
This line is very common in British folk songs. The traditional music resource Mainly Norfolk has several versions of "The Turtle Dove" containing it on this page alone. Not all the versions contain 'fare thee well' but most of them do.
Bob Dylan wrote a song called Farewell (possibly influenced by The Turtle Dove) which contains it; and Robert Burns used it in A Red Red Rose. In all cases it means "goodbye" but carries connotations of goodwill and affection: it would be unlikely that anyone would use it when parting on bad terms.
According to The Online Etymological Dictionary "to a fare thee well" meaning to perfection only dates from the late 19th century and only in the US. As a British person I'd never heard it used that way at all.
add a comment |
This line is very common in British folk songs. The traditional music resource Mainly Norfolk has several versions of "The Turtle Dove" containing it on this page alone. Not all the versions contain 'fare thee well' but most of them do.
Bob Dylan wrote a song called Farewell (possibly influenced by The Turtle Dove) which contains it; and Robert Burns used it in A Red Red Rose. In all cases it means "goodbye" but carries connotations of goodwill and affection: it would be unlikely that anyone would use it when parting on bad terms.
According to The Online Etymological Dictionary "to a fare thee well" meaning to perfection only dates from the late 19th century and only in the US. As a British person I'd never heard it used that way at all.
This line is very common in British folk songs. The traditional music resource Mainly Norfolk has several versions of "The Turtle Dove" containing it on this page alone. Not all the versions contain 'fare thee well' but most of them do.
Bob Dylan wrote a song called Farewell (possibly influenced by The Turtle Dove) which contains it; and Robert Burns used it in A Red Red Rose. In all cases it means "goodbye" but carries connotations of goodwill and affection: it would be unlikely that anyone would use it when parting on bad terms.
According to The Online Etymological Dictionary "to a fare thee well" meaning to perfection only dates from the late 19th century and only in the US. As a British person I'd never heard it used that way at all.
answered May 29 '18 at 12:49
BoldBenBoldBen
6,3531019
6,3531019
add a comment |
add a comment |
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Merriam Webster states of 'illfare' (the antonym of 'welfare') the condition of faring badly or of not being well off. So to 'fare well' is to be in a good condition. But I believe that 'fare thee well' indicates some effort is required. It is not automatic, I feel. I think the modern equivalent might well be 'take care'.
– Nigel J
May 28 '18 at 23:48
2
Possible duplicate of How did “fare-thee-well” come to mean “perfectly well”?
– lbf
May 28 '18 at 23:58
2
"Fare thee well" also used to mean farewell, goodbye. Are you sure that's not what what it means in the song?
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:00
1
Especially when one verse (in one version of the song) goes One o’ these mornings, And it won’t be long, You’re gonna call my name And I’ll be gone, Fare thee well, my Honey, Oh, fare thee well.
– Peter Shor
May 29 '18 at 0:03
Joan Baez - youtube.com/watch?v=QhAkNrelNbU
– Greg Lee
May 29 '18 at 1:13