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Title
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John Barleycorn
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Singer
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Iles, Elijah
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Song Lyrics
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Verse 1
There came three men out of the West,
Their scheming for to try,
And they have sworn a solemn oath,
John Barleycorn should die.
Verse 2
They ploughed him in the earth so deep,
Put clots upon his head,
Then these three men they did conclude,
That Barleycorn was dead.
Verse 3
They let him stay a whole fortnight,
Till rain from heaven did fall,
John Barleycorn sprang a green blade,
Which quite amazed them all.
Verse 4
They let him stay Midsummer,
Till he grew pale and wan,
And Barleycorn had a long beard,
Much like unto a man.
Verse 5
They hired men with scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee,
See how they served poor Barleycorn,
They served him bitterly.
Verse 6
They hired men with forks and rakes,
To stab him through the heart,
But the carter served him worse than that,
For he bound him to a cart.
Verse 7
They drove him round and round again,
Till they came to a barn,
And there they made a barley mow -
A mow of John Barleycorn.
Verse 8
They hired men with crab tree sticks,
To beat him, skin from bone,
And the miller served him worse than that,
For he ground him between two stones.
Verse 9
They flung him in a cistern deep,
And drowned him in water clear,
The brewer served him worse than that,
For he brewed him into beer.
Verse 10
Put white wine in a bottle
And cider in a can,
John Barleycorn, in a brown bowl,
Will prove the stronger man.
