English

John Barleycorn

There are numerous versions and variants of "John Barleycorn", a song I grew up with, but the version I sing is taken from a popular German songbook. I used to find it pretty boring until I started playing the English concertina. The tutor I used was Roger Watson's Handbook for English Concertina and in it he goes into a detailed technical discussion on minor keys and transposed Dorian modes using "John Barleycorn" as an example. This woke me up to the fact there was much more to such "simple" folk-music than meets the eye.
The song itself deals with the magical transformation of impotent barley seed into a substance powerful enough to strike the strongest man down. A sort of Charles Atlas story.
"John Barleycorn" has been recorded by:
 Various Artists on "Troubadours Of British Folk: Vol. 2" RealAudio
 Steeleye Span on "Below The Salt" RealAudio
 A.L. Lloyd on "English Drinking Songs" 
 Various Artists on "Revels Celebration Of Spring Summer & Fall" 
 John Renbourn on "John Barleycorn" 
 Steeleye Span on "Spanning The Years" 
 The Watersons on "Frost & Fire" 
 The Wild Mountain Thyme on "The Wild Mountain Thyme" 
 An Teallach Ceilidh Band on "Catching the Sun Rise" 
 Barry Dransfield on "Be Your Own Man" 
 Fairport Convention on "Cropredy Festival"