NationMaster - Encyclopedia: John Barleycorn

John Barleycorn is an English folksong. The character "John Barleycorn" in the song is a personification of the important cereal crop barley, and of the alcoholic beverages made from it, beer and whisky. In the song, John Barleycorn is represented as suffering attacks, death, and indignities that correspond to the various stages of barley cultivation, such as reaping and malting. Image File history File links Traffic-John_Barleycorn_Must_Die_(album_cover). ... Traffic was a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in late 1966 by Steve Winwood with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. ... For the article about the song and character John Barleycorn, see John Barleycorn. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the people. ... This article is about cereals in general. ... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Beer in the glass Schlenkerla Rauchbier direct from the cask Beer is the worlds oldest[1] and most popular[2] alcoholic beverage. ... Whisky, or whiskey, refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak). ...

Some have interpreted the story of John Barleycorn as representing a pagan rite.^{[citation needed]} It has also been suggested that John Barleycorn, or rather an early form of the song, may have been used by the early church in Saxon England to ease the conversion of pagans to Christianity. The reasoning behind this idea is that John Barleycorn represented the ideology of nature cycles, spirits and the harvest of the pagan religion (and may have represented human sacrifice also) but that the song was Christianised in order to show John Barleycorn as a Christ-like figure. Barleycorn, the personification of a grain of barley, encounters great suffering before succumbing to an unpleasant death. However, as a result of this death bread can be produced; therefore, Barleycorn dies so that others may live. Finally his body will be eaten as the bread. Compare this with the Christian concepts of the Sacrament and of Transubstantiation and it is not difficult to imagine how the song might have been beneficial to Christianity. Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... It has been suggested that Ecclesia (Church) be merged into this article or section. ... Mediæval Britain is a term used to suggest that there is a unity to the history of Great Britain from the 5th centurys withdrawal of Roman forces and Germanic invasions until the 16th century Reformations in Scotland and England. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... Christ is the English of the Greek word (ChristÃ³s), which literally means The Anointed One. ... In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite that mediates divine grace, constituting a sacred mystery. ... Main article: Eucharist (Catholic Church) Transubstantiation (in Latin, transsubstantiatio) is the change of the substance of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ occurring in the Eucharist according to the teaching of some Christian Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church. ...

1 Versions and variants
2 Performances
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Versions and variants

Countless versions of this song exist. A version of the song is included in the Bannatyne Manuscript of 1568, and English broadside versions from the 17th century are common. Robert Burns published his own version in 1782, and modern versions abound. Burns's version makes the tale somewhat mysterious and, although not the original, it became the model for most subsequent versions of the ballad. Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ... Printed lyrics of folk songs were extremely popular from the 16th century until the early 20th century. ... Robert Burns, foremost Scottish poet Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 â€“ July 21, 1796) was a poet and a lyricist. ... 1782 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Burns's version begins:

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

John Barleycorn

There was three kings into the east,
Three kings both great and high,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn should die. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

Earlier versions resemble Burns's only in personifying the barley, and sometimes in having the barley be foully treated or murdered by various artisans. Burns' version, however, omits their motives. In an early seventeenth century version, the mysterious kings of Burns's version were in fact ordinary men laid low by drink, who sought their revenge on John Barleycorn for that offence: (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Sir John Barley-Corn fought in a Bowl,
who won the Victory,
Which made them all to chafe and swear,
that Barley-Corn must dye.

Another early version features John Barleycorn's revenge on the miller:

Mault gave the Miller such a blow,
That from [h]is horse he fell full low,
He taught him his master Mault for to know
you neuer saw the like sir.

The figure of John Barleycorn is reproached in the song John Barleycorn, my Jo (based on a different Robert Burns poem, 'John Anderson'), for the misfortunes that come from drink:

John Barleycorn, my jo, John when we were first acquaint
I had money in my pocket John but noo, ye ken I want
I spent it all in treating John because I loved you so
And look ye how you've cheated me John Barleycorn my jo.^[1]

Performances

Many versions of the song have been recorded, most notably by Traffic, whose album John Barleycorn Must Die is named after the song. The song has also been recorded by Bert Jansch, The John Renbourn Group, Martin Carthy, the Watersons, Steeleye Span, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, The Minstrels of Mayhem, Frank Black, Chris Wood, Woody Lissauer, Maddy Prior, and many other performers. Jack London gave the title John Barleycorn to his 1913 autobiographical novel that tells of his struggle with alcoholism. Traffic was a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in late 1966 by Steve Winwood with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. ... For the article about the song and character John Barleycorn, see John Barleycorn. ... â€¹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... John Renbourn (born August 8, 1944, Marylebone, North London, England) is a British guitarist and songwriter. ... Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring later artists such as Bob Dylan and Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk... The Watersons was an English folk group from Hull in Yorkshire. ... Steeleye Span are a British folk-rock band, formed in 1970 and who remain active in 2006. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Minstrels of Mayhem are a popular American Renaissance Festival music group. ... Frank Black (born April 6, 1965 as Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. ... Chris Wood is an English folk musician and composer who plays fiddle, viola and guitar, and sings. ... Woody Lissauer is a musician and producer, best known for his work with Cubic Feet. ... Maddy Prior is a British folk singer. ... Jack London (January 12, 1876 â€“ November 22, 1916),[1][2][3] was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild and other books. ... John Barleycorn is an autobiographical novel by Jack London dealing with his struggles with alcoholism. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... This Side Of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a famous example of an autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a novel based on the life of the author. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ...

The song is frequently cited by devotees of Sir James George Frazer and his well known work The Golden Bough as being evidence of the antiquity and survival of the institution of the Frazer sacred king and spirit of vegetation, who died as a human sacrifice in a fertility rite. Masonic symbolism may be a source of the trials of John Barleycorn as set forth in the Burns version. Burns became a Freemason in 1781 [1], and a ritual death and rebirth does form a part of some Masonic rituals. If there is occult symbolism in the poem, this may be the source. Sir James George Frazer (January 1, 1854 - May 7, 1941), a social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. ... The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854â€“1941). ... A sacred king, according to the systematic interpretation of mythology developed by Sir James George Frazer in his influential book The Golden Bough, was a king who represented a solar deity in a periodically re-enacted fertility rite. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Fertility rites are religious rituals that reenact, either actually or symbolically, sexual acts and/or reproductive processes. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden. In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ...

As shown above, the point of the tale told by the original versions is twofold: it focuses not only on the death and resurrection of John Barleycorn, but also on Barleycorn's revenge upon the tradesmen who misused him. Burns, remaking the poem into a celebration of whisky, chose not to dwell on Barleycorn's vengeance. A hangover (veisalgia) describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. ... Whisky, or whiskey, refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in wooden casks (generally oak). ...

As noted on the Traffic album, "there are many other interpretations." The imagery of torture and repression can be applied to royal persecution of populist egalitarian movements such as the Levellers as well as Christian repression of pagan spiritual practices.^{[citation needed]} Rebel sympathizers can at least take solace in the grain beverage which is indisputedly referred to in the last verse of the song. The Levellers were a mid 17th century English political movement, who came to prominence during the English Civil Wars. ...

References

^ John Barleycorn, my Jo at the Digital Tradition.

Frank Black Discopedia - Frank Black, lead singer of 80's rock band the Pixies, released a song about Johnny Barleycorn on his album Fastman/Raiderman.
LaborLawTalk - John Barleycorn
Contemplator - John Renfro Davis - Recent version with MIDI tune
An illustrated version
Sir James Frazer - The Golden Bough
Pollen, a science fiction/fantasy novel by British writer Jeff Noon, includes verses of the song.

Sir James George Frazer (January 1, 1854 - May 7, 1941), a social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. ... The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854â€“1941). ... SEM image of pollen grains from a variety of common plants: sunflower (Helianthus annuus), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), prairie hollyhock (Sidalcea malviflora), oriental lily (Lilium auratum), evening primrose (Oenothera fruticosa), and castor bean (Ricinus communis). ... Jeff Noon Jeff Noon (born in 1957 in Droylsden, Manchester, England) is a novelist, short story writer and playwright whose works make extensive use of wordplay and fantasy. ...

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Contents

Versions and variants GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Performances

See also

References

External links

Versions and variants