As you can see a the top of this page, there have been many Mudcat threads about this song.

Fairly recently ~ long after this thread was begun back in '03 ~ one of those discussions went into detail about the meaning or interpretation of the lyrics, introducing an element of controversy. I was particularly struck by this contribution from Jim Lad:

thread.cfm?threadid=28589#1932046

(Read down past the full set of lyrics to see Jim's additional comments.)

If you're interested enough to read the rest of the thread, you'll see that some folks disagreed rather violently with this interpretation, the specific disease that may or may not have been alluded to, etc.

Certainly, the clearer and more detailed an idea a singer can hold in his/her mind regarding a song's "meaning," the stronger that singer's interpretation can be. I don't think it's a matter of whether said interpretation is "right" or "wrong" ~ it's the depth of the singer's conviction that can give a performance extra intensity and authenticity.

Incidentally, my first exposure to this lovely old tune was a recording by Judy Collins, on one of her mid-to-late-1960s LPs. But she did NOT list the song under its usual title; I don't remember the title used on this recording, but it was NOT "She Moved Through the Fair." It was many years before I realized that "SMTTF," a song title I encountered occasionally, was indeed the song I had heard under a different title. I believe Ms Collins sang it unaccompanied, and whatever other lyrics may or may not have differed from the traditional text, each verse ended with the phrase, "It will not be long, love, 'til our wedding day."

Anyone remember that album cut, and/or its non-standard title?