Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England
General
Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England
Ballads, English -- England -- Texts; Songs, English -- England -- Texts
NOW our work’s done, thus we feast,
After labour comes our rest;
Joy shall reign in every breast,
And right welcome is each guest:
After harvest merrily,
Merrily, merrily, will we sing now,
After the harvest that heaps up the mow.
Now the plowman he shall plow,
And shall whistle as he go,
Whether it be fair or blow,
For another barley mow,
O’er the furrow merrily:
Merrily, merrily, will we sing now,
After the harvest, the fruit of the plow.
Toil and plenty, toil and ease,
Still the husbandman he sees;
Whether when the winter freeze,
Or in summer’s gentle breeze;
Still he labours merrily,
Merrily, merrily, after the plow,
He looks to the harvest, that gives us the mow.
THE BARLEY-MOW SONG.
[THIS song is sung at country meetings in Devon and Cornwall,
particularly on completing the carrying of the barley, when the rick, or
mow of barley, is finished. On putting up the last sheaf, which is
called the craw (or crow) sheaf, the man who has it cries out ‘I have it,
I have it, I have it;’ another demands, ‘What have ’ee, what have ’ee,
what have ’ee?’ and the answer is, ‘A craw! a craw! a craw!’ upon which
there is some cheering, &c., and a supper afterwards. The effect of the
_Barley-mow Song_ cannot be given in words; it should be heard, to be
appreciated properly,—particularly with the West-country dialect.]
HERE’S a health to the barley-mow, my brave boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
We’ll drink it out of the jolly brown bowl,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
_Cho_. Here’s a health to the barley-mow, my brave boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
We’ll drink it out of the nipperkin, boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The nipperkin and the jolly brown bowl,
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
We’ll drink it out of the quarter-pint, boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The quarter-pint, nipperkin, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
We’ll drink it out of the half-a-pint, boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The half-a-pint, quarter-pint, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
We’ll drink it out of the pint, my brave boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The pint, the half-a-pint, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
We’ll drink it out of the quart, my brave boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The quart, the pint, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
Well drink it out of the pottle, my boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The pottle, the quart, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
We’ll drink it out of the gallon, my boys,
Here’s a health to the barley-mow!
The gallon, the pottle, &c.
_Cho_. Here’s a health, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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