Stone Breath - John Barleycorn lyrics

O there were three men come out of the West, their fortunes for to try And these three men made a solemn vow: John Barleycorn must die They plowed, they sowed, they hoed him in, threw clods upon his head And these three men made a solemn vow: John Barleycorn was dead They let him lie for a very long time until the rain from heaven did fall But little Sir John sprung up his head and so amazed them all They let him stand 'til midsummer's day, until he looked so pale and wan But little Sir John he grew a long beard and so became a man They hired men with scythes so sharp to cut him off at the knee They rolled him up, tied him around the waist and served him barbarously They hired men with strong pitchforks to pierce him through the heart But the loader he served him worst than that for he bound him to the cart They pulled him around and around in the fields 'til they came into the barn Then these three men made a solemn vow on poor John Barleycorn They hired men with crabtree sticks to slice him skin from bones, but the miller served him worst of all for he ground him between two stones It's a little Sir John in a nut brown bowl and a brandy in the gla** But little Sir John in the nut brown bowl proved the strongest man at last For the hunter he can't hunt the fox nor loudly blow his horn And the tinker he can't mend his pots without a little Sir Barleycorn