Barbara Allen (song)

Barbara Allen (song)

"The Ballad of Barbara Allen", also known as "Barbara Ellen," "Barbara Allan," "Barb'ry Allen," "Barbriallen," etc., is a folk song (Child Ballad 84 and Roud 54) originating in England and Scotland, and spread by ballad sheets and emigration to Ireland and America. According to Roud and Bishop, "Barbara Allen is far and away the most widely collected song in the English language — equally popular in England, Scotland and Ireland, and with hundreds of versions collected over the years in North America."