Barbara Allen — Jason Paul performance

The performance

2 recordings

Performance 1

Barbara Allen [17th Century] – English Traditional | Jason Paul

November 4, 2025

Lyrics and chords

In Scarlet GTown, where I was Embound,
There was a A7fair maid Ddwelling,
Whom CI had chosen to Gbe my own,
And her name it was Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.
All in the Gmerry month of EmMay,
When green leaves A7they was Dspringing,
This Cyoung man on his Gdeath-bed lay,
For the love of Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.
He sent his Gman unto her Emthen,
To town where A7she was Ddwelling:
'You Cmust come to my Gmaster dear,
If your name be Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.
'For death is Gprinted in his Emface,
And sorrow's A7in him Ddwelling,
And you Cmust come to my Gmaster dear,
If your name be Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.'
'If death be Gprinted in his Emface,
And sorrow's A7in him Ddwelling,
Then Clittle better shall Ghe be
For bonny Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.'
So slowly, Gslowly she got Emup,
And so slowly A7she came Dto him,
And Call she said when Gshe came there,
Young man, I Am7think D7you are a Gdying.
He turnd his Gface unto her Emthen:
'If you be A7Barbara DAllen,
My Cdear,' said he, 'Come Gpitty me,
As on my Am7death-bed D7I am Glying.'
'If on your Gdeath-bed you be Emlying,
Whats that to A7Barbara DAllen?
I Ccannot keep you Gfrom your death;
So farewell,' said Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.
He turnd his Gface unto the Emwall,
And death came A7creeping Dto him:
'Then aCdieu, adieu, and aGdieu to all,
And adieu to Am7BarbD7ara GAllen!'
as she was Gwalking on a Emday,
She heard the A7bell a Dringing,
And Cit did seem to Gring to her
'Unworthy Am7BarbD7ara GAllen.'
She turnd herGself round aEmbout,
And spy'd the A7corps a Dcoming:
'Lay Cdown, lay down the Gcorps of clay,
That I may Am7look D7upGon him.'
all the Gwhile she looked Emon,
So loudly A7she lay Dlaughing,
While Call her friends cry'd Gout amain,
'Unworthy Am7BarbaD7ra GAllen!'
When he was Gdead, and laid in Emgrave,
Then death came A7creeping toD she:
'O Cmother, mother, Gmake my bed,
his death hath Am7quite D7unGdone me.
'hard-hearted Gcreature that I Emwas,
To slight the A7one lovd me Ddearly;
I Cwish I had been Gkind to him,
The time when Am7he D7lived Gnear me.'
So this Gmaid she then did Emdye,
desired to A7be buried byD him,
reCpented her self G'fore she dy'd,
That ever Am7she D7deGnied him.

“Barbara Allen” is among the oldest and most enduring folk ballads in the English language. First published in the 1600s and carried to America by early settlers, it survived for centuries through oral tradition – passed down, adapted, and reimagined across regions and generations. The story is simple but haunting: a young man falls ill for love of Barbara Allen, who rejects him too late, only to die of remorse herself. Its themes of pride, love, and regret have made it one of the most collected traditional songs in both the British Isles and the United States. Versions of “Barbara Allen” have been sung by artists from Jean Ritchie, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger to Dolly Parton and Simon & Garfunkel, each carrying a fragment of its long, wandering history. This performance follows that lineage – plain, unadorned, and faithful to the spirit of a song that has never really disappeared. #BarbaraAllen #FolkSong #TraditionalBallad #JasonPaul #AmericanFolk