John Barleycorn | Five authentic recordings of a mystical English folk song

John Barleycorn (Roud 164) is a traditional English folk song which describes the process of making whiskey by personifying the barley from which it is made. The first known version of the song was printed on a London broadsheet in 1624, although it may be related to an older Scottish song called ‘Allan-a-Maut’ ('Alan of the malt’), which also personifies barley. Some have suggested that the song could be a survival of ancient Anglo Saxon or Celtic pagan ritual with some connection to the famous “wicker man”. Like most traditional English folk songs, the song was passed on through the oral tradition, but with the help of printed broadsheets. Robert Burns published a version in 1782 which bears a strong resemblance to more modern variants.


00:00 Introduction

00:46 William Short | Lincolnshire, England | 1908
02:55 Harry Wiltshire | Oxfordshire, England | c.1932
04:44 Fred Jordan | Shropshire, England | 1966
07:34 Michael Flannagan | County Clare, Ireland | 1974
10:34 O.J. Abbott | Quebec, Canada | 1957


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