Steeleye Span

John Barleycorn

Steeleye Span


Tom: G

D  G

[Verse]
G
They laid him in three furrows deep
     D
Laid clods upon his head
     G
Then these three man made a solemn vow
     C     G        C
John Barleycorn was dead
     D              G    D  G
John Barleycorn was dead

[Verse]
G
The let him die for a very long time
         D
Till the rain from heaven did fall
     G
Then little Sir John sprang up his head
       C    G         C
And he did amaze them all
   D              G    D  G
He did amaze them all

[Verse]
G
And they let him stand till the midsummer day
        D
Till he looked both pale and wan
     G
Then little Sir John, he grew a long beard
       C    G      C
And he so became a man
   D           G
He so became a man

[Chorus]
                D
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
                 G
Sing fa, la, la, lay, oh
G
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
D               G       D  G
Fa, la, la, la, lay, oh

[Verse]
G
They have hired men with the scythes so sharp
   D
To cut him off at the knee
         G
And they rolled him and tied him around the waist
     C          G        C
They served him barbarously
          D                   G
They have served him barbarously

[Chorus]
                D
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
                 G
Sing fa, la, la, lay, oh
G
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
        D               G       D  G
Singing fa, la, la, la, lay, oh

[Verse]
G
And they have hired men with the crab-tree sticks
   D
To cut him skin from bone
        G
And the miller he has served him worse than that
   C            G         C
He ground him between two stones
   D                      G
He ground him between two stones

[Chorus]
                D
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
                 G
Sing fa, la, la, lay, oh
G
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
        D               G       D  G
Singing fa, la, la, la, lay, oh

[Verse]
G
And they have wheeled him here, and they've wheeled him there
        D
They've wheeled him to a barn
    G
And they have a-served him a-worse than that
        C          G    C
They've bunged him in a vat
          D               G
They've a-bunged him in a vat

[Chorus]
                D
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
                 G
Sing fa, la, la, lay, oh
G
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
        D               G       D  G
Singing fa, la, la, la, lay, oh

[Verse]
G
Well, they have worked their will on John Barleycorn
       D
But he lived to tell the tale
         G
For they pour him out of an old brown jug
         C        G          C
And they call him homebrewed ale
     D                   G
They call him homebrewed ale

[Chorus]
                D
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
                 G
Sing fa, la, la, lay, oh
G
Fa, la, la, la, it's a lovely day
        D               G       D  G
Singing fa, la, la, la, lay, oh

[Outro]
G   D   G   C G C  D  G
G  D   G   D  G  D  G