Barbara Allen
Peter & Gordon Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

All in the merry month of May
When the green buds they were swelling,
William Green on his death-bed lay
For the love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his servant to the town
To the place where she was dwelling
Saying "Love, there is a call for you
If your name is Barbara Allen."

She was very slowly getting up
And very slowly going,
The only words she said to him
Were "Young man I think you're dying."

"Don't you remember the other day
When you were in town a-drinking,
You drank a health to the ladies all around
And slighted Barbara Allen?"

"O yes, I remember the other day
When I was in town a-drinking,
I drank a health to the ladies all around,
But my love to Barbara Allen."

He turned his pale face to the wall
And death was in him dwelling;
"Adieu, adieu, to my friends all,
Be kind to Barbara Allen."

When she got in two miles of town
She heard the death bells ringing:
They rang so clear, as if to say
"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"

So she looked east and she looked west
And saw the cold corpse coming,
She says "Come round you nice young man
And let me look upon you."

The more she looked the more she grieved
Until she burst out crying
"Perhaps I could have saved that young man's life
Who now is here a-lying."

"O Mother, O Mother, come make my bed
O make it both soft and narrow,
For sweet William died to-day
And I will die to-morrow."

"O Father, O Father, come dig my grave
O dig it deep and narrow,
For sweet William died in love
And I will die in sorrow."

Sweet William was buried in the old church tomb,
Barbara Allen was buried in the yard;
Out of William's heart grew a red rose,
Out of Barbara Allen's grew a brier.

They grew and grew to the old church tower
And they could not grow any higher;




And at the end tied a true lover's knot
And the rose wrapped around the brier.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Peter & Gordon's song "Barbara Allen" depict a tragic tale of unrequited love and regret. The story begins in May, with William Green lying on his deathbed because of his love for Barbara Allen. William sends a message to Barbara via his servant, calling for her to come to his bedside. Barbara slowly makes her way to William and speaks only a few words to him, acknowledging that he is dying. William reminds Barbara of a time when he slighted her, drinking to the health of other women instead of professing his love for her. William is remorseful for his past actions and declares his love for her once again.


As William takes his last breath, Barbara hears the death bells ringing and rushes to his side. She weeps at the sight of him, realizing too late that she may have been able to save him if she had acted differently. The final verses of the song describe their respective burials and how the plants growing from their graves intertwine, symbolizing their love for each other even in death.


Line by Line Meaning

All in the merry month of May When the green buds they were swelling,
This story happened in May, when everything around them started blooming and becoming more vibrant.


William Green on his death-bed lay For the love of Barbara Allen.
William Green was dying because he loved Barbara Allen very deeply.


He sent his servant to the town To the place where she was dwelling Saying "Love, there is a call for you If your name is Barbara Allen."
William's last wish was to call Barbara Allen to his deathbed, before dying.


She was very slowly getting up And very slowly going, The only words she said to him Were "Young man I think you're dying."
As Barbara Allen was going to William, she felt very sad and could only say that he was dying.


"Don't you remember the other day When you were in town a-drinking, You drank a health to the ladies all around And slighted Barbara Allen?"
Barbara Allen questioned William if he remembered when he had disrespected her by drinking and flirting with many other women.


"O yes, I remember the other day When I was in town a-drinking, I drank a health to the ladies all around, But my love to Barbara Allen."
William confirmed that he drank and flirted with other women but his love was always for Barbara Allen only.


He turned his pale face to the wall And death was in him dwelling; "Adieu, adieu, to my friends all, Be kind to Barbara Allen."
William turned his face to the wall, accepting his death while saying goodbye to his friends, and wished them to be kind to Barbara Allen.


When she got in two miles of town She heard the death bells ringing: They rang so clear, as if to say "Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"
As Barbara Allen went away from William, towards the town, she first heard the death bell ringing and it sounded as if she was being called hard-hearted, as she showed no emotion about William dying.


So she looked east and she looked west And saw the cold corpse coming, She says "Come round you nice young man And let me look upon you."
As she looked around while approaching the town, Barbara Allen saw William's funeral procession and asked them to stop so she could have a last look at him.


The more she looked the more she grieved Until she burst out crying "Perhaps I could have saved that young man's life Who now is here a-lying."
The sight of William made Barbara Allen cry more and more until she regretted not saving his life while he was still alive.


"O Mother, O Mother, come make my bed O make it both soft and narrow, For sweet William died to-day And I will die to-morrow."
Barbara Allen decided to die the day after William died, asking her mother to prepare her deathbed.


"O Father, O Father, come dig my grave O dig it deep and narrow, For sweet William died in love And I will die in sorrow."
Barbara Allen requested her father to dig her grave next to William's, to show that she, too, died while being in love and under a deep sorrow.


Sweet William was buried in the old church tomb, Barbara Allen was buried in the yard; Out of William's heart grew a red rose, Out of Barbara Allen's grew a brier.
William was buried in a tombed inside the church while Barbara Allen was buried outside in the yard. Out of William's heart grew a red rose and out of Barbara Allen's heart grew a brier.


They grew and grew to the old church tower And they could not grow any higher; And at the end tied a true lover's knot And the rose wrapped around the brier.
The rose and the brier continued to grow until they reached the old church tower. They formed a true lover's knot, and the rose wrapped around the brier, symbolizing their love for each other.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions