The Barley Mow
Encyclopedia
The Barley Mow is a cumulative song
celebrated in the traditions of the folk music of Ireland
, England
, and Scotland. William Chappell transcribed the lyrics
in his two-volume work The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855).
"The Barley Mow" has become a drinking song
sung while comrades empty their glasses. In one "Barley Mow" drinking game
, any participant who fails to sing the song's (progressively expanding) refrain in a single breath must drink. In another, participants drink just after singing the second line in each verse ("Good luck to the barley mow"); if one's glass is not empty by the final verse, one must finish the drink after singing the line.
A barley mow is a stack (mow) of barley
; especially barley that was cultivated and then harvested. Barley is a grain that is commonly malt
ed for brewing beer
.
The Canadian chain of public house
s owned by Jason Curry are named after this song.
s, and lastly to the barley mow, a venerable reserve of one of beer's key ingredients. Later verses supplement this list with roles and occupations associated with beer, from brewing
, to distribution, to serving in public house
s, to drinking. Each verse wishes good luck to a new subject, which is then added to the beginning of the litany recited in the second line of the refrain.
The song has several variations. One version begins thus:
First verse:
First refrain:
Second verse:
Second refrain:
Eleven verses later, this ultimate stanza and refrain conclude this version of the song:
Thirteenth verse:
Thirteenth refrain:
The 12 terms between landlord and round bowl are English units—particularly units used to measure the volume of alcoholic beverages. These are sung in descending order from largest (barrel) to smallest (round bowl). Round bowl (sometimes sung brown bowl) indicates either a humble, wooden bowl, or a person's hands cupped together into the shape of a bowl
.
Company refers to the party of people gathered together singing the song. A slavey is a female servant. A drayer is a person who transports heavy loads of goods (such as barrels of beer) in a type of horse-drawn cart called a dray. Daughter refers to the barmaid or serveuse in a family-owned public house.
Cumulative song
A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as-Examples of cumulative songs:* "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...
celebrated in the traditions of the folk music of Ireland
Folk music of Ireland
The folk music of Ireland is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Ireland.-History:...
, England
Folk music of England
Folk music of England refers to various types of traditionally based music, often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music, for which evidence exists from the later medieval period. It has been preserved and transmitted orally, through print and later through recordings...
, and Scotland. William Chappell transcribed the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
in his two-volume work The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855).
"The Barley Mow" has become a drinking song
Drinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
sung while comrades empty their glasses. In one "Barley Mow" drinking game
Drinking game
Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages. These games vary widely in scope and complexity, although the purpose of most is to become intoxicated as quickly as possible...
, any participant who fails to sing the song's (progressively expanding) refrain in a single breath must drink. In another, participants drink just after singing the second line in each verse ("Good luck to the barley mow"); if one's glass is not empty by the final verse, one must finish the drink after singing the line.
A barley mow is a stack (mow) of barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
; especially barley that was cultivated and then harvested. Barley is a grain that is commonly malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
ed for brewing beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
.
The Canadian chain of public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s owned by Jason Curry are named after this song.
Lyrics
The verses of "The Barley Mow" wish good luck to various sizes of vessels of alcoholic beverageAlcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s, and lastly to the barley mow, a venerable reserve of one of beer's key ingredients. Later verses supplement this list with roles and occupations associated with beer, from brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
, to distribution, to serving in public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s, to drinking. Each verse wishes good luck to a new subject, which is then added to the beginning of the litany recited in the second line of the refrain.
The song has several variations. One version begins thus:
First verse:
- Here's good luck to the pintPintThe pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
pot - Good luck to the barley mow
- Jolly good luck to the pint pot
- Good luck to the barley mow
First refrain:
- Oh the pint pot, half a pint, gillGill (unit)The gill is a unit of measurement for volume equal to a quarter of a pint. It is no longer in common use, except in regard to the volume of alcoholic spirits measures but it is also kept alive by the occasional reference, such as in the cumulative song, "The Barley Mow".Imperial gillUnited States...
pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkinNipperkinThe nipperkin is a unit of measurement of volume, equal to one-half of a quarter-gill, one-eighth of a gill, or one thirty-second of an English pint. In other estimations, one nip is either one-third of a pint, or any amount less than or equal to half a pint....
, and a round bowl - Here's good luck (good luck!), good luck to the barley mow
Second verse:
- Now here's good luck to the quartQuartThe quart is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon, two pints, or four cups. Since gallons of various sizes have historically been in use, quarts of various sizes have also existed; see gallon for further discussion. Three of these kinds of quarts remain in current use, all approximately...
pot - Good luck to the barley mow
- Jolly good luck to the quart pot
- Good luck to the barley mow
Second refrain:
- Oh the quart pot, pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin, and a round bowl
- Here's good luck (good luck!), good luck to the barley mow
Eleven verses later, this ultimate stanza and refrain conclude this version of the song:
Thirteenth verse:
- Now here's good luck to the company
- Good luck to the barley mow
- Jolly good luck to the company
- Good luck to the barley mow
Thirteenth refrain:
- Oh, the company, brewerBrewerBrewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
, bookie, slavey, drayer, daughterDaughterA daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
, landlady, landlord, barrelBarrel (unit)A barrel is one of several units of volume, with dry barrels, fluid barrels , oil barrel, etc...
, half-barrel, gallonGallonThe gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
, half-gallon, quart pot, pint pot, half a pint, gill, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin, and a round bowl - Here's good luck (good luck!), good luck to the barley mow
The 12 terms between landlord and round bowl are English units—particularly units used to measure the volume of alcoholic beverages. These are sung in descending order from largest (barrel) to smallest (round bowl). Round bowl (sometimes sung brown bowl) indicates either a humble, wooden bowl, or a person's hands cupped together into the shape of a bowl
Bowl (vessel)
A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
.
Company refers to the party of people gathered together singing the song. A slavey is a female servant. A drayer is a person who transports heavy loads of goods (such as barrels of beer) in a type of horse-drawn cart called a dray. Daughter refers to the barmaid or serveuse in a family-owned public house.