He was born in Hatfield and grew up in Hampstead, London. After training as an actor he sang in coffee bars. He became a resident at the Troubador folk club in Earls Court in the late 1950s. He joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961. He is a renowned solo performer of traditional songs in a very distinctive style, accompanying himself on his trusty old Martin Guitar; his style is marked by the use of alternate tunings, and a strongly percussive picking style that emphasizes the melody. His debut album, Martin Carthy, was released in 1965, and also featured Dave Swarbrick playing fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.
He has also been involved with many musical collaborations. He has sung with The Watersons since 1972, was an early member of the UK folk rock group Steeleye Span, and was part of the innovative Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and mandolin and John Kirkpatrick's accordion, melodeon and concertina.
For many years Carthy has enjoyed a creative partnership with fiddle player Dave Swarbrick. More recently, Waterson:Carthy has provided the forum for a successful partnership with partner Norma Waterson together with their daughter Eliza Carthy.
In June 1998 he was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he also won the award for Best Traditional Track for 'Famous Flower of Serving Men'.
John Barleycorn
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Their fortunes for to try,
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn should die.
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
Throwed clods upon his head.
Then these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead.
They let him lie for a very long time
Till the rain from heaven did fall.
Then little Sir John he raised up his head
And he soon amazed them all.
They let him lie till the long midsummer
Till he looked both pale and wan.
Then little Sir John growed a long, long beard
And so became a man.
They hired men with the scythes so sharp
To cut him off down by the knee.
They rolled him and tied him around by the waist,
Served him most barbarously.
They hired men with the sharp pitchforks
Who pierced him to the heart.
But the loader, he served him far worse than that
For he bound him to the cart.
They rode him around and around the field
Till they came into a barn,
And there they made a solemn mow
Of poor John Barleycorn.
They hired men with the crab-tree sticks
Who cut him skin from bone
But the miller, he served him far worse than that
For he ground him between two stones.
Here's little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
And brandy in a glass.
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the stronger man at last.
For the hunter, he can't hunt the fox
Nor so loudly blow his horn,
And the tinker, he can't mend his kettles or his pots
Without a little bit of John Barleycorn.
The song "John Barleycorn" is a traditional English folk song that tells the story of the life and death of a barleycorn, which symbolizes both the crop and the alcoholic drink that it produces, namely beer and whiskey. The song describes the cycle of agricultural growth and harvest, as well as the process of turning the barley into alcohol. It also portrays John Barleycorn as a person, who is born from the earth and dies through the hands of men.
The three men who come out of the west represent the elements of nature – earth, wind, and fire – as well as the farmers who work the land. They plough, sow, and harrow John Barleycorn, which represents the process of planting and growing the barley crop. When John Barleycorn is ready to be harvested, the men cut him down and brutally torture and kill him, symbolizing the process of malting, mashing, and fermenting the barley into alcohol. However, the last verse of the song celebrates John Barleycorn's triumph over his fate, as he outsmarts the hunter and the tinker, who need his drink to hunt and work.
The song has many interpretations, including religious, mythological, and allegorical ones. Some see it as a celebration of the Pagan god of grain, while others view it as a Christian allegory of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. The song has been recorded by many famous musicians, including Traffic, Jethro Tull, and The Grateful Dead, and has become a staple of British folk music.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh there were three men came out of the west
Three men arrived from the west
Their fortunes for to try,
They were determined to test their luck
And these three men made a solemn vow:
The men made a serious pledge
John Barleycorn should die.
They decided to kill John Barleycorn
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in,
They cultivated and buried John Barleycorn
Throwed clods upon his head.
They covered his body with dirt
Then these three men made a solemn vow:
They reiterated their serious pledge
John Barleycorn was dead.
John Barleycorn had been killed
They let him lie for a very long time
They left his body untouched for an extended period
Till the rain from heaven did fall.
Until the sky opened up with rain
Then little Sir John he raised up his head
John Barleycorn began to sprout again
And he soon amazed them all.
His sudden regeneration was surprising
They let him lie till the long midsummer
They left him alone until midsummer
Till he looked both pale and wan.
He became pale and weak
Then little Sir John growed a long, long beard
John Barleycorn's growth accelerated, even growing a long beard
And so became a man.
He grew to maturity
They hired men with the scythes so sharp
They employed skilled workers with sharp tools
To cut him off down by the knee.
They cut him down to the knee with their tools
They rolled him and tied him around by the waist,
They bound him by his waist after rolling him
Served him most barbarously.
They treated him in a cruel and inhumane way
They hired men with the sharp pitchforks
They recruited workers with sharp forks
Who pierced him to the heart.
The workers impaled him in the heart
But the loader, he served him far worse than that
The transport worker treated him even more brutally
For he bound him to the cart.
He tied him to the cart
They rode him around and around the field
They whipped him, forcing him to circle the field
Till they came into a barn,
They eventually arrived at a barn
And there they made a solemn mow
At the barn, they created another serious vow
Of poor John Barleycorn.
The vow was regarding John Barleycorn's fate
They hired men with the crab-tree sticks
They enlisted workers with sharp sticks
Who cut him skin from bone
These workers flayed him alive
But the miller, he served him far worse than that
The mill worker subjected him to even graver treatment
For he ground him between two stones.
The mill worker crushed him between two stones
Here's little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
John Barleycorn is now in a nut-brown container
And brandy in a glass.
He is now accompanied by brandy in a glass
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
John Barleycorn is still in that container
Proved the stronger man at last.
Ultimately, John Barleycorn emerged victorious
For the hunter, he can't hunt the fox
Even hunters depend on John Barleycorn
Nor so loudly blow his horn,
Without John Barleycorn, even the horn of hunters will be silenced
And the tinker, he can't mend his kettles or his pots
Even tinkerers require John Barleycorn
Without a little bit of John Barleycorn.
The smallest amount of John Barleycorn is crucial
Contributed by Kaelyn M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@barrycross2585
Folk music legend and icon, lucky enough to see him at the Goat pub folk club. In St.Albans in the 1970’s
@svenlittlecross
what a player, more i listen to him more im aware of it and he does it so effortlessly
@MLOI18775
Best version ever.
@sandramorey2529
His brother in law, Mike waterson ,performed this and it's on YouTube. I recommend it for Mike' singing style Give it a listen.
@Wotsitorlabart
@sandra morey
I struggle with MW's 'bleating' style of folk revival singing. Very much of its time.
@evansmith3589
Masterful!
@jakemetcalfe3091
Masterful.
@Connachtman1916
@maida1982a The man is a geinus - listen to that f**** amazing guitar, finger plucking or what...brilliant.
@TheBrunosaurus
very good Version!
@dickmiles6639
excellent