Chorus: Now let us rejoice, put sorrow away,
Our Savior, John Barleycorn, has died on this day!They have put him down young,
And watchéd him grow,
And they've cut him down in his prime
When his worth he did show.Chorus
They have hangéd him up
For three days or more,
Then they crushed him and pressed him,
Which distressed us full sore.Chorus
They have placed his remains
In wood and in clay,
And in barrels have hidden him
Far from the light of day.Chorus
To redeem us to joy
He was put here on earth,
And this grace he'll accomplish
By death and rebirth!Chorus
We shall drink of his blood
All from a nut-brown bowl,
And this shall refresh us
In body and soul.Chorus
Chorus
Copyright ©1983, David C. Thewlis
"This song was written prior to my tenure as Bard of the Mists. The chorus comes from Oak, Ash, and Thorn: they sent out a postcard of their appearances with the chorus on it, and I couldn't resist the chorus. 'The rest is history.'" -- Siegfried von Hoflichskeit
The West Kingdom History Website was created by and is maintained by Hirsch von Henford (mka Ken Mayer).