“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. Barleycorn, the personification of the 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

have been beneficial to Christianity.

‘Til these three men were satisfied

John Barleycorn was dead.

They let him lie for a very long time,

‘Til the rains from heaven did fall,

When little Sir John raised up his head

And so amazed them all.

They let him stand ’til Mid-Summer’s Day

When he looked both pale and wan;

Then little Sir John grew a long, long beard

And so became a man.

But the loader did serve him worse than that,

For he bound him to the cart.

They wheeled him ’round and around the field

‘Til they came unto a barn,

And there they took a solemn oath

On poor John Barleycorn.

To split him skin from bone,

But the miller did serve him worse than that,

For he ground him between two stones.

And the tinker cannot mend his pots

Without John Barleycorn