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?