The Maid Gaed Tae The Mill lyrics
Nathan Tenny
Gentle Readers,
"The Maid Gaed Tae The Mill" has ensconced itself happily in my repertoire.
However, my wife insists that I'm singing it wrong: I'm missing two verses
near the end that begin "Her father bade her cast it out" and "Her mother
bade her keep it in" (or something like that).
I remember seeing these verses in an online source, once upon a time, but
I can't find that source (it's not Digitrad; I checked) and can't remember
past the first lines. Could someone help me out here?
Thanks in advance.
NT
--
Nathan Tenny | Words I carry in my pocket, where they
Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA | breed like white mice.
<nten...@qualcomm.com> | - Lawrence Durrell
Jim Partridge
>Gentle Readers,
>"The Maid Gaed Tae The Mill" has ensconced itself happily in my repertoire.
>However, my wife insists that I'm singing it wrong: I'm missing two verses
>near the end that begin "Her father bade her cast it out" and "Her mother
>bade her keep it in" (or something like that).
>I remember seeing these verses in an online source, once upon a time, but
>I can't find that source (it's not Digitrad; I checked) and can't remember
>past the first lines. Could someone help me out here?
Well, from an old Ewan McColl record, if I'm remembering it correctly:
Her mither bade her throw it oot
Hey, hey, so wanton!
Her mither bade her throw it oot,
Hey, so wanton, she!
It was the miller's dusky cloot,
For getting all her corn ground,
Getting all her corn ground,
Mill and mulcher free.
Her faither bade her keep it in,
Hey . . .
Her faither bade her keep it in,
Hey . . .
It was the chief of all his kin,
And now he'll get his corn ground,
Now he'll get his corn ground,
Mill and mulcher free.
Jim.
Abby Sale
Tenny) wrote:
>"The Maid Gaed Tae The Mill" has ensconced itself happily in my repertoire.
>However, my wife insists that I'm singing it wrong: I'm missing two verses
>near the end that begin "Her father bade her cast it out" and "Her mother
>bade her keep it in" (or something like that).
>
Great song!
MacColl cut this version about 57 times. Unfortunately always (for me)
on things that didn't supply text. There's one word I could never get.
He says he got it from his father & so gives no written source.
MAID GAED TAE THE MILL
The maid gaed tae the mill be nicht
Hey, hey sae wanton,
The maid gaed tae the mill be night
And hey sae wanton she
She swore by a' the stars sae bricht
That she should hae her corn ground
She should hae her corn ground
Mill and multure free
Then oot an' cam' the miller's man
Hey, hey sae wanton,
Oot an' cam' the miller's man
And hey sae wanton he
He said he'd dae the best he can
For tae get her corn ground
For tae get her corn ground
Mill and multure free
He put his haund about her neck (2x)
He flung her doon upon a sack
And there she got her...
When a' the rest gaed tae their play (2x)
She sighed and said and wuldna stay
Because she'd got her...
When nine months were passed an' gane (2x)
This lassie had a braw lad bairn
For gettin' a' her...
Her mither bade cast it oot (2x)
It was the miller's dusty clout
For gettin' a' her...
Her faither bade her keep it in (2x)
It was the chief o' all her kin (It _sounds_ like chief)
For getin' a' her...
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- ---
I am Abby Sale - abby...@orlinter.com (That's in Orlando)
Nathan Tenny
Jim Partridge <part...@jps.net> wrote:
[snippity snippity]
>Her faither bade her keep it in,
>Hey . . .
>Her faither bade her keep it in,
>Hey . . .
>It was the chief of all his kin,
>And now he'll get his corn ground,
>Now he'll get his corn ground,
>Mill and mulcher free.
Thanks (and also to Abby, who posted Ewan MacColl's full set of lyrics).
But now...what the heck does that last verse mean? The child is "the chief
of all his kin" because its existence provides leverage for the girl's
family to get free milling in perpetuity? Pretty small return for having
to feed another mouth, ennit?
John (Yogi) Allen LX/M 832 4812
I learned this many years ago, and I've forgotten the source, but it
could be derived from Ewan McColl's version...
Here it is the faither who wants it cast oot, and the mither kept in.
I have the last verse as:
Her mither bade her keep it in,
Hech hey sae wanton,
Her mither bade her keep it in,
Hey sae wanton she,
It was a chief for ell her kin,
Because she got her corn ground,
Millen, mulch an' fleir.
It was explained to me that she provided an heir who would be chief.
Also, in the previous verse, "the miller's dusty cloot" was said to be
slang for "the miller's bastard"
Good song...
/Yogi
---
Email: etl...@etl.ericsson.se | John (Yogi) Allen
East Grinstead Hash House Harriers | On On in Sussex and Kent (UK)
Brighton GO Club | British GO Association (2D)
Brighton Morris Men | Melodeon, Guitar, Songs
Phone: (Home) 01444 244581 | (Work) 01444 234812
"If you want a double entendre, I will give you one..."
Katherine Kaye
mulct' or to take egregiously large amounts from one who can ill-afford
it) was one means by which owners of streams, whose tenants the millers
were, could keep entire villages in debt or at the edge of starvation.
Mulcture could consume as much as 50% of a family's entire grain crop, as
the miller was paid in kind and took a share for the landlord as well.
In the days when infant mortality was high and women were chattels,
getting free milling in perpetuity merely for begetting a bastard child
was a victory for justice! The other mouth to feed might not have lived to
see age 5, after all...
Katherine in Oxford
Abby Sale
Tenny) wrote:
>>It was the chief of all his kin,
>
>But now...what the heck does that last verse mean? The child is "the chief
>of all his kin" because its existence provides leverage for the girl's
>family to get free milling in perpetuity? Pretty small return for having
>to feed another mouth, ennit?
Good guess but I'd say no. In Scotland it's just not a good lever.
Bastardy is more a joking matter that a shotgun one. The Scottish beau
_never_ runs away to sea or murders his pregnant girlfriend. Nor would
the girl be disowned, banished or even thrown out of church. Father's
are often mad about it but it's usually associated with losing any bride
price when she eventually marries. It's only due for a virgin. (She
can still marry well, though.) If a dowry would be due (more common
than bride-price,) now it will have to be much higher.
In contrast to all that, he might still have to pay support. The DigTrad
version has:
This young man maun hae a nurse
This young man he'll draw oot his purse
Because he has her corn grun'
But the Aberdeenshire version in Greig~Duncan (c1890) gives it more
clearly:
It's noo this son must have a nurse
Which gar'd this young man draw his purse [made/caused]
Because he grun' the lassie's corn
Mill and multre free.
There's no "chief" verse in G~D but is a weird last one. Weird because
it seems to be sung by the mother, not the miller's man:
Now if this son should chance to dee [die]
Some rum and whiskey is for me,
Because I got my corn grun'
Mill and multre free.
No, that "chief" is a problem for me. I _want_ it to be "grief" but I
hear "chief" and so does everyone else.
The version in Herd (1791) gives pretty much all the MacColl verses plus
those in DigTrad. It's "chief" there too. BTW, in Herd, mother wants
it out & father says keep it. I don't think he is actually heir to the
chieftainship - I think that's through the male line & depends on
ratification by the clan elders anyway.
AND:
On 12 Nov 1998 11:46:47 GMT, etl...@etlxdmx.ericsson.se (John (Yogi)
Allen LX/M 832 4812) wrote:
>Millen, mulch an' fleir.
Definitely "mill and mulcher (or multure or multre) free" Standard
phrase for "no charge." In this case, it's the literal usage for no
cost for milling & also no "duty." Ie, the standard percent of the total
grain charge the mill owner would take as a right.
This is only fair that the miller's man doesn't charge her since his
grinding of her corn would never be taken as literal by _anyone_ (I
hope).
>
>It was explained to me that she provided an heir who would be chief.
>Also, in the previous verse, "the miller's dusty cloot" was said to be
>slang for "the miller's bastard"
Maybe, but I think it's indirect. A "cloot" (or "clout") is a small
square, usually of cloth. Eg, a dishclout or in this case, a diaper
(nappy). So, yes, his baby, but euphemistically.
It's "dusty" because everything around a miller is dusty from he flying
mill-dust in the air - his clothes, shirt, even his kiss in other songs.
(Cloot thus becomes a "patch" in other songs as in "Clout the
Cauldron.")
Nathan Tenny
Abby Sale <abby...@orlinter.com> wrote:
>No, that "chief" is a problem for me. I _want_ it to be "grief" but I
>hear "chief" and so does everyone else.
Something occurred to me last night: Perhaps it's the family's only male
scion, and if the girl's father can't have a legitimate male heir, he'll
settle for a bastard one. That's a lot of subtext to read into one
line, though.