John Barleycorn is an OLD, OLD song. Thus, there are lots of different versions. Robert Burns published one notable version, but it seems that most folkies like a slightly simpler, shorter version than his. I don't know quite what version your particular band sings, but here are a number of sites with slightly different wordings. That oughta get you started.

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~ipereira/pagan/barleycorn.html http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~kwang/songs/barleycorn.3.html http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/scottish/johnbarl.htm http://ingeb.org/songs/johnbarl.html

And who is this John Barleycorn bloke anyway? Real, literal barley. He gets buried (planted), then rises up (sprouts), grows a beard (flowers), is cut down (harvested), and ground between stones (milled). His blood (beer) makes many things happen: turns boy into man, turns man into ass, turns silver into brass (from buying it all night long *WHHEEEEEE*), makes a man forget his woe, and makes a widow's heart sing. Look at the poetry and you'll find lots of other references.

Barley (and other grains) is also the personification of the ancient "Dieing God" archetype: the God who gives up his life to feed his people and then is reborn, usually having fathered himself on an ever-living Earth Goddess.

Finally, "John Barleycorn" is the title of a novel by Jack London, which can be found in its entirety at the following URL:

http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/London/Writings/JohnBarleycorn