The Barley and the Rye (Song)

It’s of an old country farmer who lived in the West Country

And he had the prettiest little wife, that ever you did see

And a young man, he came a courting her

When the old man, he wasn’t nigh

And it’s ofttimes they’d take a tumble, amongst the barley and the rye

Well the old man woke in the morning and he found himself all alone

And he looked out his window and saw his wife in the corn

And a young man, he lay beside her which caused the old man to cry

He says; ‘Wife, wife I wonder at you, for the spoiling of my rye!”

‘Oh husband,’ she cried, ‘Oh husband, that’s the like I ne’er done before!

And if you’ve got one friend love, I’ve another one in store

He’s a friend love who’ll not desert you

If you would home employ

He’s got money enough to pay for both the barley and the rye!’

Well, the farmer took on the young lad as his working day it was long

And nine months being over, his pretty wife bore a son

And as she sat and nursed the child , she wondered by and by

Was the baby born for the farmer, or the barley and the rye?