Song about convict life
Forty Grains of Barley (SAT/Lyrical Ballad)
(Level – Medium Difficulty)
This song is a poignant, melancholy introspection; the private sorrows of an Australian First-Fleet convict. His whole life has been one of hardship, and he finds himself somewhere beautiful, yet still in chains, physically and emotionally. It is a SAT choral arrangement, entirely unaccompanied, with rich modal harmonies. You’ll need your ears well tuned, but the sound is very wistful and moving when it all comes together! Check out the full score or full lyrics below, while you listen. My warmest thanks to the Barnabas Singers, for their careful preparation and hard work in the studio to supply this recording! xxx
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Lyrics
Forty Grains of Barley – LYRICS (C. Mayers)
(A Convict’s Thoughts)
Stolen - from my home I was,
Thrown across the sea;
Forty grains of barley brought me here,
To this land, unfriendly.
Toil – before me,
Heat, and strain;
Cold and want behind,
Caught, between two worlds I find myself;
Neither of them kind.
If I could strike my reaching hand,
If I could dust my palm,
Forty grains of barley had never done me harm.
I thought to feed my hungry child,
I thought to feed my wife,
Instead I fed the trade in souls and cast away my life.
Without these chains I could raise my head high,
Watch the bright birds, study the sky,
If I were free, mem’ries might fade, ‘rest in the shade –
And smoke in peace.
Ev’ry day – I must endure,
I dream of my release.
If I could strike my reaching hand,
If I could dust my palm,
Forty grains of barley had never done me harm.
I stole to take my rightful share,
To feed my little girl,
Forty grains,
Forty grain ,
Forty grains of barley –
Stole my entire world.
Sample Score
