John Barleycorn (Roud Folk Song Index #164) is an allegorical English folk song celebrating the sowing and harvest of barley and its subsequent use as alcohol. John Barleycorn is one of the most well-known English folk songs due to the wide range of musical adaptations that exist, many from well-known bands such as Traffic. It is also one of the oldest English folk songs, already having been printed by the 17th century with roots that extend centuries further in the past. It has its origins in the pagan worship of the Corn God who was symbolically killed and resurrected each harvest cycle.

Recording credit: John Graham Donaldson, Folk Music of England

This channel is dedicated to preserving the neglected culture of English folk songs in the form of short lyrical videos. The folk songs of the English have been overlooked compared to those of the other British peoples, something that this channel hopes to fix.

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