John Barleycorn Must Die chords by Traffic (Ver. 2)

John Barleycorn (must die) chords
Traffic (English Folksong) *

A  G D  Em D Em D 2x

      A          Em       G   D      Em
There were three men came out of the west,
      A        G   D  Em
their fortunes for to try
    A           Em         G D    Em
And these three men made a solemn vow:
     A     G    D    Em
John Barleycorn must die.

        G                 Em    D       Em
They've ploughed, they've sewn, they've harrowed him in;
      G        A        Em
threw clods at Barley's head
    A           Em         G D    Em
And these three men made a solemn vow:
     A     G    D   Em
John Barleycorn was dead.

A  G D  Em D Em D 4x

        A       Em        G    D    Em
They've let him lie for a very long time,
          A          G      D   Em
'till the rains from heaven did fall
    A          Em          G  D   Em
And little Sir John sprung up his head,
    A   G     D    Em
and so amazed them all.

        G       Em     D    Em
They've let him stand 'till midsummer's day,
      G              A        Em
'till he looked both pale and worn
    A          Em             G     D    Em
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard,
    A    G    D Em
and so become a man.

A  G D  Em D Em D 4x

        A     Em           G       D  Em
They've hired men with the scythes so sharp,
   A       G   D      Em
to cut him off at the knee
        A              Em       G  D   Em
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist,
        A        G  D     Em
servin' him most barbarously.

        G     Em  D        Em
They've hired men with the sharp pitchforks,
    G           A      Em
who pricked him to the heart
        A             Em         G     D    Em
And the loader he has served him worse than that,
         A         G  D   Em
for he's bound him to the cart

A  G D  Em D Em D 4x

        A            Em         G     D   Em
They've wheeled him around and around the field,
           A      G  D Em
'till they came unto a barn
    A          Em     G D    Em
And there they made a solemn oath,
   A         G  D  Em
on poor John Barleycorn.

        G     Em  D        Em
They've hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
   G       A         Em
to cut him skin from bone
        A             Em         G     D    Em
And the miller he has served him worse than that,
         A            G     D   Em
for he's ground him between two stones.

A  G D  Em D Em D 4x

    A          Em           G   D     Em
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
         A      G  D   Em
and he's brandy in the glass
    A          Em           G   D     Em
And little Sir John and the nut-brown bowl,
           A         G   D  Em
proved the strongest man at last.

    G    Em   D        Em
The huntsman, he can't hunt the fox,
       G         A        Em
nor so loudly to blow his horn
        A         Em         G      D   Em
And the tinker he can't mend kettle nor pots,
    A            G  D  Em
without a little Barleycorn


* Alternate:

Capo VII (probably the most correct)

A  = D
Em = Am
G  = C
D  = G

Capo II

A  = G
Em = Dm
G  = F
D  = C

set8