Discography:
Lady Moon 2004
I Walk with the Goddess 2007
Elemental 2010
Voice of the Goddess Vol. 1 2009 - compilation by Run Wild Records
She is a certified teacher of SpiritSong, a powerful tool for freeing your voice, for accessing the authentic sound that is you, and for entering into Spirit. Kellianna was trained by Shawna Carol in facilitating this unique approach to spiritual growth. Kellianna facilitates chant circles at festivals and shops all over the states She is a collector of chants and takes great joy in sharing these chants in her circles. She is experienced in the art of ritual chant, and uses the song to move energy, to celebrate the ancient mysteries, and to strengthen intention.
John Barleycorn
Kellianna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who came out of the west
Their fortunes for to try
And these three men
Made a solemn vow
John Barleycorn must die
They've plowed, they've sown,
They've harrowed him in
And these three men
Were satisfied
John Barleycorn was dead
They've let him lie
For a very long time,
'Til the rains from heaven did fall
And little Sir John sprung up his head
And so amazed them all
They've let him stand
'Til midsummer's day
'Til he looked both pale and wan
And little Sir John's
Grown a long, long beard
And so become a man
They've hired men
With their scythes so sharp
To cut him off at the knee
They've rolled
And tied him by the waist,
Serving him most barbarously
They've hired men
With sharp pitchforks
Who've pricked him to the heart
And the loader
He has served him
Worse than that
For he's bound him to the cart
They've wheeled him around,
And around a field
'Til they came onto a barn
And there they made
A solemn vow
On poor John Barleycorn
They've hired men
With their crabtree sticks
To cut him skin from bone
And the miller
Has served him
Worse than that
For he's ground him
Between two stones
And little Sir John
In his nut brown bowl
And he's brandy in the glass
And little Sir John
In his nut brown bowl
Proved the strongest man at last
The huntsman he
Can't hunt the fox
Nor loudly to blow his horn
And the tinker he
Can't mend his kettle or his pots
Without a little barleycorn
The song John Barleycorn is a traditional British folk song that tells the story of the life, death, and resurrection of John Barleycorn, an anthropomorphic character who represents barley or beer. The song opens with three men who vow to kill John Barleycorn, symbolized by the process of plowing, sowing, and harrowing. John Barleycorn is left to lie for a long time until he sprouts from the ground, growing taller and stronger each day. However, the men don't want John Barleycorn to succeed, so they hire men with scythes to cut him down and with pitchforks to wound him. Eventually, John Barleycorn is tied to a cart and wheeled around a field before being brought to a miller who grinds him between two stones. In the end, little Sir John, who is a glass of brandy containing John Barleycorn, proves to be the strongest as he can intoxicate people, making them forget their duties and responsibilities.
The song of John Barleycorn can be interpreted in many ways. It has been speculated that the song represents the agricultural cycle, where barley represents the cycle of death, renewal, and rebirth experienced by society. The song can also be seen as a metaphor for drinking or alcoholism, where John Barleycorn is replaced by alcohol that people consume to forget their problems. It can also represent the struggle of the common man against the aristocracy, as John Barleycorn is oppressed and killed by the wealthy owners of the land.
Line by Line Meaning
There were three men
Three guys came from the west
Who came out of the west
Three dudes arrived from the west
Their fortunes for to try
They were looking to try their luck
And these three men
The trio of men
Made a solemn vow
They made a solemn promise
John Barleycorn must die
John Barleycorn had to be killed
They've plowed, they've sown,
They cultivated, they seeded,
They've harrowed him in
They prepared the soil for John Barleycorn to grow
Threw clods upon his head
They threw soil on top of him
And these three men
The trio of men
Were satisfied
Were content with John Barleycorn's death
John Barleycorn was dead
They had killed John Barleycorn
They've let him lie
They let him rest
For a very long time,
For quite some time
'Til the rains from heaven did fall
Until it rained
And little Sir John sprung up his head
Little Sir John sprouted
And so amazed them all
And surprised them all
They've let him stand
They let him grow
'Til midsummer's day
Until midsummer's day
'Til he looked both pale and wan
Until he looked weak and sickly
And little Sir John's
Little Sir John's
Grown a long, long beard
Grew a long beard
And so become a man
And became mature
They've hired men
They hired people
With their scythes so sharp
With sharp scythes
To cut him off at the knee
To cut him down
They've rolled
They rolled
And tied him by the waist,
And tied him up
Serving him most barbarously
Treating him with great cruelty
They've hired men
They hired people
With sharp pitchforks
With sharp pitchforks
Who've pricked him to the heart
Who have wounded him in the heart
And the loader
And the guy who loads the carts
He has served him
Treated him
Worse than that
Even worse than that
For he's bound him to the cart
He tied him up to the cart
They've wheeled him around,
They took him on a ride,
And around a field
Around a field
'Til they came onto a barn
Until they reached a barn
And there they made
And there they swore
A solemn vow
A solemn promise
On poor John Barleycorn
On unfortunate John Barleycorn
They've hired men
They hired people
With their crabtree sticks
With their clubs
To cut him skin from bone
To flay him alive
And the miller
And the guy who mills the grains
Has served him
Treated him
Worse than that
Even worse than that
For he's ground him
He has crushed or ground him
Between two stones
Between two millstones
And little Sir John
Little Sir John
In his nut brown bowl
In his wooden bowl
And he's brandy in the glass
And there's brandy in the glass
And little Sir John
Little Sir John
In his nut brown bowl
In his wooden bowl
Proved the strongest man at last
Proved to be the strongest at the end
The huntsman he
The hunter
Can't hunt the fox
Can't hunt the fox
Nor loudly to blow his horn
Cannot loudly blow his horn
And the tinker he
And the tinker
Can't mend his kettle or his pots
Cannot fix his utensils
Without a little barleycorn
Without a little bit of barley
Contributed by Reagan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Neil Meredith
on Scarborough Faire
Enchanting !