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The Barley Mow

[ Roud 944 ; Ballad Index ShH99 ; trad.]

The Barley Mow is a drinking game song from William Chappell's Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855-1859). George Spicer and audience sang it in The Half Moon in Balcombe, Sussex on June 27, 1962. This recording by Ken Stubbs was included in 1998 on the Topic anthology They Ordered Their Pints of Beer and Bottles of Sherry (The Voice of the People Volume 13).

Tony Rose and audience sang The Barley Mow in a concert in Cheltenham in 1969. This recording was included in his posthumous CD Exe.

Lyrics

Tony Rose sings The Barley Mow

Here's good luck to the pint pot,
Good luck to the barley mow.
Jolly good luck to the pint pot,
Good luck to the barley mow.

Chorus:

Oh the pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and the brown bowl,
Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow

Here's good luck to the quart pot,
Good luck to the barley mow.
Jolly good luck to the quart pot,
Good luck to the barley mow.

Chorus:

Oh the quart pot, pint pot, half a pint, gill pot, half a gill, quarter gill, nipperkin and the brown bowl,
Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow

(With each verse, another term is used and added to the chorus:
half gallon, gallon, half barrel, barrel, landlord, landlady, daughter, slavey, drayer, brewer, company.)