"John Barleycorn" is a British folksong. The character of John Barleycorn in the song is a personification of barley and the alcoholic beverages made from it, beer, ale and whisky. The song echoes various mythological tales of the suffering, death and resurrection of a god whose rebirth has life giving benefits for mankind. It appears in the Roud Index of Folksong as #164. It was also printed in Sharp's 100 English Folk Songs. It was recorded by Bert Jansch, the John Renbourn Group, Pentangle, Martin Carthy, Steeleye Span and others. The tune here is my transcription of Steeleye Span's rendition on their Below the Salt album. It somehow reminds me of "Green Willis" in the Tunes section.