JOHN BARLEYCORN,
JOHN Barleycorn is the rarest grain,
that e'er was sown in land.
It is far better then any other grain,
by the turning of our hand.
Ladley lal lal, toll, &c.
Their came three lords from the North,
and swore they were very dry,
And they have sworn a solemn oath,
that the Barleycorn should die.
They ploughed him down with strong irons
and put the plough cloth under their head.
And swore another solemn oath,
that Barleycorn was deod
But when spring of the year came on,
after rain and snow did fall,
The Barleycorn got up his head,
and so beguil'd them all.
They hired men with crooked hooks,
to cut him of his feet,
And they did worse then that again,
for they tied him like a thief.
They hired men with long spear staves,
and they pierced him through the heart
And they did worse then that again,
for they tied him to cart,
They hired men with long flail staves
to threash the flesh off the bones,
And the Miller lad used him worse then
that,
for he ground him between two stones,
Fill him up in sacks brave boys,
and brew him in a pan,
And when he came to the brown bowl,
he became the strongest man,
It would make a maid for to dance,
as naked as the hour she was born,
It would make her join a jobe of work,
that raging Barleycorn.
It would change a boy unto a man,
and a man into an ass,
It would change your gold all into silver,
and your silver unto brass.
It would make a huntsman kill a fox,
without winding his horn.
It would put a tinkler into stocks,
that raging Barleycorn.
Ledley lal, &c.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse