John Barleycorn
Steeleye Span Lyrics
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Came from the west
Their fortunes for to tell,
And the life of John Barleycorn
As well.
They laid him in three furrows deep,
Laid clods upon his head,
John Barleycorn was dead.
The let him die for a very long time
Till the rain from heaven did fall,
Then little Sir John sprang up his head
And he did amaze them all.
They let him stand till the midsummer day,
Till he looked both pale and wan.
The little Sir John he grew a long beard
And so became a man.
They have hired men with the scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee,
The rolled him and they tied him around the waist,
They served him barbarously.
They have hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
To cut him skin from bone,
And the miller has served him worse than that,
For he's ground him between two stones.
They've wheeled him here, they've wheeled him there,
They've wheeled him to a barn,
And thy have served him worse than that,
They've bunged him in a vat.
They have worked their will on John Barleycorn
But he lived to tell the tale,
For they pour him out of an old brown jug
And they call him home brewed ale.
Steeleye Span’s song “John Barleycorn” tells the story of a man, John Barleycorn, who represents barley that is harvested, processed and turned into beer. The three men from the West who tell Barleycorn’s story are actually anthropomorphic personifications of the weather conditions needed for grain cultivation: rain, sun and snow, who determine Barleycorn's fate from planting to harvest. The song describes the various stages through which Barleycorn passes: planting, growth, harvest and ultimately, his revival in the form of home-brewed ale.
The lyrics convey a powerful metaphor, as John Barleycorn’s journey represents the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth that is found in both nature and human experience. In this sense, the song has a spiritual quality, with Barleycorn being a symbol for the essential and life-giving substance of beer. The various stages of John Barleycorn’s journey are filled with vivid imagery, from the solemn funeral procession when he is planted in the ground, to the horrific torture he undergoes during the milling process, to his joyful rebirth as ale.
Although the lyrics and melody of “John Barleycorn” have been passed down through oral tradition for centuries, Steeleye Span’s version, which was released in 1970, won widespread acclaim and helped to introduce the song to a new audience. Today, the song continues to be a staple of British folk music, and in recent years, has been covered by a diverse range of artists, from Jethro Tull to Ed Sheeran.
Line by Line Meaning
There were three men
Three men came from the west.
Came from the west
They arrived from the western region.
Their fortunes for to tell,
They came to predict people's fortunes.
And the life of John Barleycorn
In addition, they wanted to share the story of John Barleycorn.
As well.
That was their aim, as well.
They laid him in three furrows deep,
They buried John Barleycorn in the ground with a deep trench.
Laid clods upon his head,
They covered his head with soil.
Then these three man made a solemn vow
Those three men made a promise.
John Barleycorn was dead.
That John Barleycorn was dead was the promise they made.
The let him die for a very long time
They let him decompose for a long time.
Till the rain from heaven did fall,
Until a rainfall, coming from the heavens, watered the ground.
Then little Sir John sprang up his head
Then, a little Sir John Barleycorn sprouted.
And he did amaze them all.
Everyone was amazed by this surprise.
They let him stand till the midsummer day,
They let him grow until midsummer day.
Till he looked both pale and wan.
Until he looked weak and sickly.
The little Sir John he grew a long beard
The little Sir John grew facial hair.
And so became a man.
He got matured and became a full-grown plant.
They have hired men with the scythes so sharp,
They've hired people with sharp tools to harvest him.
To cut him off at the knee,
To cut his stalks at the bottom.
The rolled him and they tied him around the waist,
They then rolled and tied him.
They served him barbarously.
They treated him cruelly.
They have hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
They also brought someone who brought wooden sticks.
To cut him skin from bone,
They scraped away his skin.
And the miller has served him worse than that,
Then he was even more maltreated by the miller.
For he's ground him between two stones.
The miller ground him between two stones.
They've wheeled him here, they've wheeled him there,
They put him in different places by wheeling him.
They've wheeled him to a barn,
They wheeled him to a barn, as well.
And thy have served him worse than that,
He was maltreated more even still.
They've bunged him in a vat.
They then put him in a vat and sealed it.
They have worked their will on John Barleycorn
They did whatever they wanted with John Barleycorn.
But he lived to tell the tale,
Despite all of that, he was still alive to tell the story.
For they pour him out of an old brown jug
They served him from an old brown jug.
And they call him home brewed ale.
And they called him home-brewed ale.
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben - Moderator
on Bonny Moorhen
Hi Stuart, We have corrected the description above.
Stuart Tartan
on Bonny Moorhen
This description of the song completely misses the point in every way. It IS NOT about a bird.
It is an allegorical Jacobite-era song about Bonny Prince Charlie (the bonny moorhen). The colours mentioned, for instance, are the colours of the Clan Stuart tartan.