John Barleycorn

João Cevada

John Barleycorn

Três homens vieram do oeste, buscando a sorteThere were three men came out of the west, their fortunes for to try
E esses três homens fizeram um voto soleneAnd these three men made a solemn vow
João Cevada deve morrerJohn Barleycorn must die
Araram, semearam, e o atormentaramThey've plowed, they've sown, they've harrowed him in
Jogaram terra sobre sua cabeçaThrew clods upon his head
E esses três homens fizeram um voto soleneAnd these three men made a solemn vow
João Cevada estava mortoJohn Barleycorn was dead

Deixaram-no deitado por muito tempo, até que as chuvas do céu caíramThey've let him lie for a very long time, 'til the rains from heaven did fall
E o pequeno Sir John levantou a cabeça e surpreendeu a todosAnd little Sir John sprung up his head and so amazed them all
Deixaram-no em pé até o Dia de São João, até que ele ficou pálido e fracoThey've let him stand 'til Midsummer's Day 'til he looked both pale and wan
E o pequeno Sir John deixou crescer uma longa barba e se tornou um homemAnd little Sir John's grown a long long beard and so become a man
Contrataram homens com suas foices afiadas para cortá-lo no joelhoThey've hired men with their scythes so sharp to cut him off at the knee
Rolaram-no e amarraram-no pelo caminho, tratando-o de forma brutalThey've rolled him and tied him by the way, serving him most barbarously
Contrataram homens com garfos afiados que o feriram no coraçãoThey've hired men with their sharp pitchforks who've pricked him to the heart
E o carregador o tratou ainda piorAnd the loader he has served him worse than that
Pois o prendeu à carroçaFor he's bound him to the cart

Rodaram-no em um campo até chegarem a um lagoThey've wheeled him around and around a field 'til they came onto a pond
E lá fizeram um voto solene sobre o pobre João CevadaAnd there they made a solemn oath on poor John Barleycorn
Contrataram homens com bastões de espinheiro para arrancar sua pele do ossoThey've hired men with their crabtree sticks to cut him skin from bone
E o moleiro o tratou ainda piorAnd the miller he has served him worse than that
Pois o moeram entre duas pedrasFor he's ground him between two stones

E o pequeno Sir John e a caneca marrom e sua bebida no copoAnd little Sir John and the nut brown bowl and his brandy in the glass
E o pequeno Sir John e a caneca marrom provaram ser o homem mais forte no finalAnd little Sir John and the nut brown bowl proved the strongest man at last
O caçador não consegue caçar a raposa nem tocar seu chifre tão altoThe huntsman he can't hunt the fox nor so loudly to blow his horn
E o ferreiro não consegue consertar panelas ou potes sem um pouco de cevadaAnd the tinker he can't mend kettle or pots without a little barleycorn