John is a common English given name derived from the Latin name Iohannes, which is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan. Barleycorn is a traditional English folk song and dance that dates back to the 16th century. The song tells the story of a man named JOHN Barleycorn, who is killed, cut up, and then resurrected as a symbol of the cycle of life and death. The term 'barleycorn' is also used to refer to a unit of measurement equal to one-third of an inch.