something needs to be said of barley

the grain

barley makes an ideal soup ingredient

it is a sponge for broth

and thus a gum and tongue pleaser

apparently it is used for beer as well

but more subtlely

 

the word

tolkien once named an innkeeper barliman butterbur

barley for short

and made him fat and chatty and slow of mind and pure of heart

fitting his name

which–hey–imagine alfalfiman aloebur

alfie for short

too too bristly

wrong

barley sounds like barney

and barely

and burly

father of barbie? sure

nice guy

 

the verse

be ye more like barley

kick it up a notch

make yourself unsnarly

butter up your scotch