The Barley Mow (Roud 944) is a cumulative song celebrated in the traditions of folk music of England, Ireland, and Scotland.
[1] William Chappell transcribed the lyrics in his two-volume work The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time (1855).
Later verses supplement this list with roles and occupations associated with beer, from brewing, to distribution, to serving in public houses, to drinking.
Each verse wishes good luck to a new subject, which is then added to the beginning of the litany recited in the second line of the refrain.
A drayer is a person who transports heavy loads of goods (such as barrels of beer) in a type of horse-drawn cart called a dray.