There were three men come out of the West
Their fortunes for to try
And these three men made a solemn vow
John Barleycorn must die
They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed
Threw clods upon his head
And these three men were satisfied
John Barleycorn was dead.

(Chorus)
There's beer-o in the barrel
and brandy in the glass
but good old Sir John in his nut brown bowl
proved the strongest man at last

They've left him stand for a long long time
Till the rains from heaven did fall
Then little Sir John's sprung up his green head
And so amazed them all
They've let him stand till the Midsummer Day
Till he's grown both pale and wan
Then little Sir John's grown a long, brown beard
And so become a man.

CHORUS

Well they hired men with their scythes so sharp
To cut him off at the knee.
They've bound him and tied him around the waist
Serving him most barbarously.
They hired men with their sharp pitch-forks
To prick him to the heart
But the drover he served him worse than that
For he's bound him to the cart.
And they have rolled him around and around the field
Till they came unto a barn
And there they kept their solemn vow
concerning Barleycorn
They've hired men with their crab-tree sticks
To strip him skin from bone
But the miller, he served him worse than that,
For he's ground him 'tween two stones.

CHORUS

Now the huntsman he can't hunt the fox
Nor loudly blow his horn
And the tinker, he can't mend his pots
Without John Barleycorn.