Much earlier in the thread, parts of the song "John Barleycorn Is a Hero Bold" (aka. "Hey, John Barleycorn") were quoted; it is "John Barleycorn (2)" in the DT. I would warn against using this particular song in examining any deep metaphorical meanings in the John Barleycorn lore because the song was written for the music hall by Joseph Bryan Geoghegan ca. 1859. Although it repackaged previous John Barleycorn material (including from Burns, who himself was probably repackaging), the metaphors in Geoghegan's text are mere imitation.

For more information on that song, see the thread "Tune Req: Hey John Barleycorn":
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=66785