by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
John Barleycorn
Language: English  after the English
Available translation(s): DUT
There came three men from out the West Their victory to try, And they have taken a solemn oath John Barleycorn should die. Refrain: Sing right follol the diddle all the dee Right folleero dee. They took a plough and ploughed him in Laid clods upon his head And they have taken a solemn oath John Barleycorn is dead. So then he lay for three long weeks Till the dew from heaven did fall, John Barleycorn sprang up again And that surprised them all. There he remained till midsummer And looked both pale and wan, For all he had a spikey beard To shew he was a man. But soon came men with their sharp scythes And chopped him to the knee They rolled and tied him by the waist And served him barbarously. We'll tip white wine into a glass And scarlet into a can John Barleycorn and his brown bowl Shall prove the better man.
Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Robert Burns (1759 - 1796)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "John Barleycorn", 1950 [women's chorus], from the cantata Folk Songs of the Four Seasons, no. 4a, Oxford University Press [text verified 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Lidy van Noordenburg) , title unknown
Researcher for this page: Lidy van Noordenburg
This text was added to the website: 2010-01-31
Line count: 27
Word count: 157