John Barleycorn | Songs of England #6 | Stonehenge, Wiltshire

New to this series? Explore the full playlist: bit.ly/3azFCkX
In this new series in collaboration with The Nest Collective, we explore the stories behind traditional English folk songs that have connections to historic places.
On the surface, John Barleycorn is about the killing and burial of the man whose name the song takes. But listen more closely and you find that Barleycorn himself is an allegory for the barley crop harvested each autumn across England. As a place set in a landscape dotted with countless prehistoric burial mounds, and in the heart of one of England's largest farming regions, Stonehenge is a fitting match for this sombre tale of demise and rebirth.
Visit Stonehenge: www.english-he...
Presented by Sam Lee and Matt Thompson.
Written and Directed by Max O'Brien.
John Barleycorn Performed by Sam Lee; Arranged by Thom Ashworth.
Original Music Composed by Christopher Schlechte-Bond.
Music Direction by Thom Ashworth.
Produced by Nathalie Blue and Jamie Bellinger.
Title Lettering by Alan Kitching.
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[@seekwisdom7757]

I remember singing traditional English folk songs at school in the 1950s as a child & enjoyed this video & information so much - These deep cultural links to the past are precious & need to be taught to youngsters....music, art,language, culture & history together. And the old folk dances like the maypole were so enjoyable too. The Aesops fables & fairy tales were my favourites at nursery storytime & when I started learning to read. Handwriting practice everyday, copying oud English sayings was another thing which I believe helped give me a solid foundation to my education & sense of belonging being the only non-English girl in the school for most of my school life. (I was the translator for my immigrant parents from well before age 5 as I quickly learnt English from playing with next door children in our street & going listening to stories at Sunday school ! )

[@thenestcollective]

❤️ Stonehenge is one of our absolute favourite sites. So great to hear our very own Sam Lee on this one!

[@user-xe1eu4se1i]

Love these videos and love English folk songs so much. I hope, one day, I will be able to visit England.

[@Anne--Marie]

The reverence that the British have for their history is heartwarming. And a special shout out to the rock group Traffic for "John Barleycorn Must Die" as they were responsible for piquing my interest in British history.

[@SunnysFilms]

Thank you for this! My indroduction to this song was through Traffic - which was my parents introduced me to as a little kid. Funny story - my dad first heard this song on the radio. He didn't realize they were singing about literal barleycorn, and when he stopped to call my mom, he told her, "I just heard the most awful song on the radio about these guys that killed a man!" And he described all the awful things they did to "John Barleycorn," and my mom just started to laugh so hard. She told him what the song was and what they were actually singing about. To this day we can't hear this song without having a laugh about that.

[@CatBATd4rklycu73]

That is such a cute story. My dad played me the Traffic version when I was little. I actually found that album at a thrift store last year. I may have cried...

[@Alexandra-jj2qh]

Group Steeleye Span also did an excellent version of this song

[@Miler97487]

So did Martin Carthy with Dave Swarbrick.

[@cokaorcola]

@@Miler97487 agreed my favourite version is the carthy one

[@Serai3]

For the huntsman, he can't hunt the fox nor loudly blow his horn And the tinker, he can't mend kettles nor pots without a little Barleycorn.

[@winterweib]

I would be more than happy never an English huntsman would have been able to rip such a poor animal in pieces. I remember when I read that charming Princess Anne asked some people which dared to disturb her disgusting pleasure (end of the 1970's) if they would be 'payed by Russia'.

[@Serai3]

@@winterweib Way to miss the entire point, but whatever.

[@CarLyGer]

That voice... 😍 Amazing imagery and interesting information, thank you for this enjoyable experience.

[@justrosy5]

Not a drinker over here, but that was genuinely cool 🙂

[@allisonforfornsed]

@English Heritage Thank you for this, I love it

[@KainedbutAble123]

Wow can I download this version anywhere? A spine-tingling rendition.

[@EnglishHeritage]

The full collection will be available to stream soon on Spotify. In the meantime, you can enjoy it at your leisure on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/the_nest_collective/sets/songs-of-england

[@KainedbutAble123]

@@EnglishHeritage brilliant thanks!

[@AndrewCasad]

My favourite way to way to enter into this venerable folksong is "The tale of John Barleycorn, or, From barley to beer" with beautiful colour woodcuts by Mary Azarian

[@ForestRossi23]

Great, thanks for the content. Appreciated 👍🤙

[@marybateman8127]

Excellent choice! Very nice

[@oldkittykiyru]

KZbin flooded my feed with your channel because you upload so many at one time. P.s. lovely songs.

[@garvitavarshney2761]

omg!!! can't believe it !!! it's amazing!!!!

[@jardelsilveira7688]

That's a trip to the past.

[@bubble-r8b]

Beautiful. These songs really should be promoted more, how can so many not know their own folk songs? Where can I find the full, uninterrupted version of Sam Lee's rendition of this song?

[@Sa-fd7ih]

When you try to understand the lyrics but the caption just says “🎶 John Barleycorn, Sam Lee 🎶”

[@andrewo6890]

John Barleycorn not on Soundcloud yet, but be patient good people, enjoy what you have for now. Let’s take this time to give thanks 🤘🏼

[@Myriako]

Thank you for this video! 😊🌺

[@Seiferboi]

I'd like to hear this song on it's own, but I still enjoyed how the stanzas were interspersed between the educational parts within the video. Is there anywhere to download or purchase this version of the song?

[@EnglishHeritage]

Hi there. The full collection will be available to stream soon on Spotify! In the meantime, you can enjoy it on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/the_nest_collective/sets/songs-of-england

[@Anwelei]

Wow this is beautiful

[@jgg8207]

I love this 💜

[@kunnochannel6941]

Love 😍😍

[@LilyoftheValeyrising]

John Barleycorn sung by a band called Traffic from 1970 is available on Spotify.

[@Talalansardeen33]

💐💐💐

[@kenesufernandez1281]

❣️

[@dejavu9734]

Dreams

[@joergf6]

Good version of this from Davy Steele or The Watersons or Albert Lancaster Lloyd. Ne'er fail in old Scotland!

[@Rob88]

Ummm. Whoever decided not to include the entire song should be drawn and quartered.

[@nadiazeeb1868]

Lol

[@EnglishHeritage]

Worry not, Rob. The full collection will be available to stream soon on Spotify! In the meantime, you can enjoy it on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/the_nest_collective/sets/songs-of-england

[@Rob88]

@@EnglishHeritage excellent! Thanks! There is no longer any need or desire for the responsible party to be divided into four pieces.

[@nevem5010]

🌟

[@user-sp9qb7ou5t]

Whats the song at the beginning?

[@Naurlmak]

This song isn’t in SoundCloud by this man, will it be added soon?

[@Anne--Marie]

The Steve Winwood version is on KZbin and it's terrific.

[@robatkins6432]

built 5000 yrs ago but re-built in the 1950's

[@sandponics]

Stonehenge is a solar calendar, and a landing site for alien spacecraft. The Aliens are due to return shortly.

[@julilla1]

Just a suggestion, please sing the whole song. Cutting it off when you did was very unsatisfying.

[@EnglishHeritage]

Hello. Thank you for your comment. Though a segment of each song appears in the videos, you can enjoy them in full on Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/the_nest_collective/sets/songs-of-england They will also soon be on Spotify as a playlist.

[@queendumb]

@@EnglishHeritage If all songs were included on SoundCloud/Spotify, there wouldn't be a problem. However, John Barleycorn is not on SoundCloud via the link you provided.

[@katienewell7350]

@@EnglishHeritage This particular song isn't listed on the Soundcloud link

[@GRA.L1981]

Stonehenge: The hanging stones.

[@Digiphex]

I think the stones were transported by glacial activity and found nearby, not transported.

[@hetrodoxly1203]

We know where the quarry is in south Wales

[@Digiphex]

@@hetrodoxly1203 There is a quarry there, yes. But these stones were transported by a glacier. Both things are true.

[@hetrodoxly1203]

@@Digiphex You think they quarried some and the others came from the same quarry by glacier?

[@Wotsitorlabart]

​@@hetrodoxly1203 He 'thinks'.

[@excession3076]

@@hetrodoxly1203 That's the "Bluestones", the inner ring. The big "Sarsen Stones" are from relatively nearby Marlborough Downs.

[@nasalimbu3078]

Town center

[@user-ul4rp5ew9j]

I hope English Heritage condemns the tacky, gimmicky Woke politics that lead to Stonehenge being trashed in orange paint. I would hope so...

[@gwynwilliams4222]

The English didn't build Stonehenge the Welsh did the English didn't get to Britain until 6th century

[@hetrodoxly1203]

The Welsh never existed then.

[@gwynwilliams4222]

Yes they did they were called Britons ancient Britons my DNA goes back 9500 years in Britain and I'm now Welsh same thing

[@hetrodoxly1203]

@@gwynwilliams4222 So does my DNA and i'm English.

[@tankeagle1714]

The Welsh are celtic people, the celts arrived in England around 2 millennia bc. Stonenge or new grange in Ireland is from 3 millennia bc, and according to historians was builded by Mediterranean peoples, especially from Spain and Sardinia. The Basques and the Sardinian Nuragics, pre indoeuropeans. That's why the skin and the aspect of the Irish or the Welsh sometimes is brown.

[@KateBates22zabu]

My DNA is a mystery to me. I'm American