John Barleycorn
TrafficVersion1
90
Chords in this song
Strum
D-DU-UDU
2x
There were three men came out of the west,
their fortunes for to try
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn must die.
They've ploughed, they've sewn, they've harrowed him in;
threw clods at Barley's head
And these three men made a solemn vow:
John Barleycorn was dead.
4x
They've let him lie for a very long time,
till the rains from heaven did fall
And little Sir John sprung up his head,
and so amazed them all.
They've let him stand till midsummer's day,
till he looked both pale and worn
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard,
and so become a man.
4x
They've hired men with the scythes so sharp,
to cut him off at the knee
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist,
servin' him most barbarously.
They've hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
who pricked him to the heart
And the loader he has served him worse than that,
for he's bound him to the cart
4x
They've wheeled him around and around the field,
till they came unto a barn
And there they made a solemn oath,
on poor John Barleycorn.
They've hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
to cut him skin from bone
And the miller he has served him worse than that,
for he's ground him between two stones.
4x
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
and he's brandy in the glass
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
proved the strongest man at last.
The huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
nor so loudly to blow his horn
And the tinker he can't mend kettle nor pots,
without a little Barleycorn
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Readable chord sheet for John Barleycorn by Traffic
[A] [G] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] 2x There [A]were three [Em]men came [G]out [D]of the [Em]west, their [A]fortunes [G]for [D]to [Em]try And [A]these three [Em]men made a [G]so[D]lemn [Em]vow: John [A]Barley[G]corn [D]must [Em]die. They've [G]ploughed, they've [Em]sewn, [D]they've [Em]harrowed him in; threw [G]clods at [A]Barley's [Em]head And [A]these three [Em]men made a [G]so[D]lemn [Em]vow: John [A]Barley[G]corn [D]was [Em]dead. [A] [G] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] 4x They've [A]let him [Em]lie for a [G]very [D]long [Em]time, till the [A]rains from [G]heaven [D]did [Em]fall And [A]little Sir [Em]John sprung [G]up [D]his [Em]head, and [A]so a[G]mazed [D]them [Em]all. They've [G]let him [Em]stand [D]till [Em]midsummer's day, till [G]he looked both [A]pale and [Em]worn And [A]little Sir [Em]John's grown a [G]long, [D]long [Em]beard, and [A]so be[G]come [D]a [Em]man. [A] [G] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] 4x They've [A]hired [Em]men with the [G]scythes [D]so [Em]sharp, to [A]cut him [G]off [D]at the [Em]knee They've [A]rolled him and [Em]tied him [G]by [D]the [Em]waist, servin' [A]him most [G]bar[D]barous[Em]ly. They've [G]hired [Em]men [D]with the [Em]sharp pitchforks, who [G]pricked him [A]to the [Em]heart And the [A]loader he has [Em]served him [G]worse [D]than [Em]that, for he's [A]bound him [G]to [D]the [Em]cart [A] [G] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] 4x They've [A]wheeled him a[Em]round and a[G]round [D]the [Em]field, till they [A]came un[G]to [D]a [Em]barn And [A]there they [Em]made a [G]so[D]lemn [Em]oath, on [A]poor John [G]Bar[D]ley[Em]corn. They've [G]hired [Em]men [D]with the [Em]crab-tree sticks, to [G]cut him [A]skin from [Em]bone And the [A]miller he has [Em]served him [G]worse [D]than [Em]that, for he's [A]ground him be[G]tween [D]two [Em]stones. [A] [G] [D] [Em] [D] [Em] [D] 4x And [A]little Sir [Em]John and the [G]nut-[D]brown [Em]bowl, and he's [A]brandy [G]in [D]the [Em]glass And [A]little Sir [Em]John and the [G]nut-[D]brown [Em]bowl, proved the [A]strongest [G]man [D]at [Em]last. The [G]hunts[Em]man, [D]he can't [Em]hunt the fox, nor so [G]loudly to [A]blow his [Em]horn And the [A]tinker he [Em]can't mend [G]kettle [D]nor [Em]pots, with[A]out a little [G]Bar[D]ley[Em]corn [A] [D] [Em] [Am] [G] [C] [D] [G] [A] [G] [Em] [Dm] [G] [F] [D] [C]