John Barleycorn

João Cevada

John Barleycorn

Três homens vieram do oeste, pra tentar a sorteThere were three men come out of the west, their fortunes for to try
E esses três homens fizeram um voto sério, João Cevada vai morrerAnd these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn would die
Eles araram, semearam, passaram o arado, jogaram terra na cabeça deleThey've ploughed, they've sown, they've harrowed, thrown clods upon his head
Até que esses três homens ficaram satisfeitos, João Cevada estava mortoTill these three men were satisfied John Barleycorn was dead
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Tem cerveja no barril e conhaque no copoThere's beer all in the barrel and brandy in the glass
Mas o pequeno Sir João, com sua tigela marrom, provou ser o mais forte no finalBut little Sir John, with his nut-brown bowl, proved the strongest man at last
Deixaram ele deitado por muito, muito tempo até que as chuvas do céu caíramThey've let him lie for a long long time till the rains from heaven did fall
E o pequeno Sir João levantou a cabeça e surpreendeu a todosAnd little Sir John sprang up his head and so amazed them all
Deixaram ele em pé até o dia do solstício de verão e ele parecia pálido e fracoThey've let him stand till midsummer's day and he looks both pale and wan
Então o pequeno Sir João deixou crescer uma longa barba e assim se tornou um homemThen little Sir John's grown a long long beard and so become a man
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Contrataram homens com foices afiadas pra cortá-lo no joelhoThey've hired men with the sharp-edged scythes to cut him off at the knee
Eles o rolaram e amarraram na cintura, trataram-no de forma bem brutalThey've rolled him and tied him around the waist, treated him most barbarously
Contrataram homens com garfos afiados pra perfurá-lo até o coraçãoThey've hired men with the sharp-edged forks to prick him to the heart
E o carregador o tratou ainda pior, pois o prendeu na carroçaAnd the loader has served him worse than that for he's bound him to the cart
Então o levaram em volta do campo até chegarem a um celeiroSo they've wheeled him around and around the field till they've come unto a barn
E aqui cumpriram sua palavra solene sobre CevadaAnd here they've kept their solemn word concerning Barleycorn
Contrataram homens com varas de espinheiro pra separar pele de ossoThey've hired men with the crabtree sticks to split him skin from bone
E o moleiro o tratou ainda pior, pois o moeu entre duas pedrasAnd the miller has served him worse than that for he's ground him between two stones
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E o caçador não consegue caçar a raposa nem tocar seu chifreAnd the huntsman he can't hunt the fox nor loudly blow his horn
E o ferreiro não consegue consertar suas panelas sem João CevadaAnd the tinker he can't mend his pots without John Barleycorn