{"id":1118,"date":"2020-02-23T09:01:04","date_gmt":"2020-02-23T09:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=1118"},"modified":"2025-02-16T11:18:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T11:18:13","slug":"hey-john-barleycorn","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/hey-john-barleycorn\/","title":{"rendered":"John Barleycorn is a hero bold"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>John Barleycorn
Hey John Barleycorn<\/td><\/tr>
First published<\/td>1860<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Lyrics<\/strong><\/td>JB Geoghegan <\/td>Music<\/strong><\/td>JB Geoghegan\/John Blockley<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN2141<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Music Hall performers<\/strong><\/td>See below<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source singers<\/strong>
Pool, Albert 1906 England : Somerset
Walton, William 1916 England : Oxfordshire
Attrill, George 1954 England : Sussex
Botting, Corn 1957 -60 England : Sussex
Townshend, George 1961 England : Sussex
Dixon, Marjorie 1971 England : Surrey
Pardon, Walter 1985 England : Norfolk
Modern Performances<\/strong>
The Wilson Family 1990s
Many more!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
John Barleycorn is an hero bold as any in the land,\nFor ages good his fame has stood and will for ages stand.\nThe whole wide world respect him no matter friend or foe,\nAnd where they be that makes too free he's sure to lay them low.\n\nHey, John Barleycorn, ho, John Barleycorn,\nOld and young thy praise have sung, John Barleycorn.<\/em>\n\nTo see him in his pride of growth his robes are rich and green,\nHis head is speared with prickly beard fit nigh to serve the Queen.\nAnd when the reaping time comes round and John is stricken down,\nHe yields his blood for England's good and Englishmen's renown.\n\nThe Lord in courtly castle and the Squire in stately hall,\nThe great of name in birth and fame on John for succour call.\nHe bids the troubled heart rejoice, gives warmth to Nature's cold\nMakes weak men strong and old ones young and all men brave and bold.\n\nThen shout for great John Barleycorn nor heed the luscious vine,\nI have no mind much charm to find in potent draught of wine.\nGive me my native nut-brown ale, all other drinks I'll scorn\nFor true English cheer is English beer, our own John Barleycorn.\n\n\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>
\n
John Barleycorn<\/em> (RN164) is one of the most popular English\/Scottish folksongs, telling the gruesome story of its hero: killed, buried, cut up, skinned and eventually turned into beer\u2026. John Barleycorn is a Hero Bold<\/em> is perhaps less well-known but it is another song in praise of the plant that gives us beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
 John Barleycorn is a Hero Bold<\/em> was published in 1860, written and composed by JB Geoghegan<\/a> with symphonies and accompaniments by John Blockley . It has been collected from source singers a number of times in England, mostly by collectors operating in the second half of the 20th century. There is a good summary of modern folk versions at Mainly Norfolk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Searching The Era<\/em> reveals that the character of Barleycorn makes frequent appearances in Christmas pantomime in the 2nd half of the 19th century, and that a song called “John Barleycorn” was extremely popular in the 1860s, but not before or after, being sung by a variety of artists in a number of venues (see list below if interested!) I would take this as strong circumstantial evidence that Geoghegan’s Barleycorn song, was fairly widely sung in the Halls in the decade after it was written.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song seems not to have been referred to again in The Era <\/em>until Nov 28 1885 when Elliott and Renton advertise “Great success of new song” “Old John Barleycorn”, whilst appearing at the Gaiety Halifax.  Perhaps another different song??<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the USA, de Marsan’s Singers Journal ( Vol 1, No. 34, p236) gives the words above, with the note: “As sung by Frank van Hess<\/em>“. My calculations imply that this would have been published between October 1869- Jan 1870, so the song was already known in America by the end of 1869, giving further evidence that it was a popular song in the 1860s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n