| Author | Topic: Add: The Miller and His Sons | |
| Jon Freeman | Posted - 23 Oct 02 - 04:00 pm | |
The Miller And His Sons There was a miller, as you shall hear, Long time he lived in Devonshire, He was took sick and deadly ill, And had no time to write his will! He was took sick and deadly ill, And had no time to write his will. So he call'd up his eldest son, Said he, "My glass is almost run. If I to thee my mill shall give, Tell me what toll thou'lt take to live?" "Father," said he, "My name is Jack, From every bushel I'll take a peck. From every grist that I do grind, That I may thus good living find." "Thou art a fool," the old man said, "Thou hast not half aquired thy trade. My mill to thee I ne'er will give, For by such toll no man can live." Then he call'd up his second son, Said he, "My glass is almost run. If I to thee my mill shall make, Tell me what toll to live thou'lt take?" "Father you know my name is Ralph, From every bushel I'll take a half. From every grist that I do grind, That I may thus good living find." "Thou art a fool," the old man said; "Thou hast not half aquired thy trade. My mill to thee I will not give, For by such toll no man may live." Then he call'd up his youngest son, Say he, "My glass is almost run. If I to thee my mill shall make, Tell me what toll, to live, thou'lt take?" "Father I am your youngest boy, In taking toll is all my joy. Before I would good living lack, I'd take the whole - forswear the sack." "Thou art the boy," the old man said, "For thou hast full aquired the trade. The mill is thine," the old man cried, He laugh'd gave up the ghost, and died. Source: Songs Of The West, S Baring Gould Notes: Baring Gould notes: Taken down, music and words for J. Helmore, miller, South Brent. The words occur in the Roburgh Collection, iii. p. 681. It is included in Bell' "Songs of the English Peasantry," p. 194; and is the Northumbrian Minsterly," Newcastle, 1882. In the North of England it is sung to the ir of "The Oxfordshire Tragedy," Chappell, p. 191. Our air bears no resemblance to this. %%scale 1 X:1 T:The Miller And His Sons B:Songs Of The West, S Baring Gould S:Taken down from J Helmore, miller, South Brent F:/songs M:3/4 L:1/8 K:Ab A|c B B2B c|B A A3A|G B A3B|E E E3A|c d e3e|d e c3A|c B d3G|B A A3A|c e e3e|d e c3A|c B d3G|B A A3z|] w:There was a mil-ler, as you shall hear, Long time he lived in De-von-shire, He was took sick and dead-ly ill, And had no time to write his will! He was took sick and dead-ly ill, And had no time to write his will. Added to database here | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 16 Dec 02 - 01:56 pm | |
There are two editions of "The miller's advice to his three sons" at the Bodleian Library Broadisde Ballads site: Printer: Dicey, W. and C. (London) Date: between 1736 and 1763 Imprint: Printed and Sold at the Printing-Office in Bow Church-Yard, London Illus. Ballads on sheet: 1 Copies: Harding B 5(7) Ballads: 1. The miller's advice to his three sons, in taking of toll ("There was a miller, who had three sons ...") Subject: Millers; Economy and trade Printer: [s.n.] ([s.l.]) Date: [s.a.] Illus. Ballads on sheet: 1 Copies: Douce Ballads 4(44) Ballads: 1. The miller's advice to his three sons, in taking of toll ("There was a miller who had three sons ...") Subject: Millers; Economy and trade ~Masato | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 16 Dec 02 - 04:42 pm | |
Roud 138, Laws Q21. The text from Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England, referred to above, can be seen at both Bell at Poets' Corner and Bell at World Wide School: The Miller and His Sons The Miller and His Sons Widespread in tradition in England and the USA; also found occasionally in Scotland and Canada. There are two recent American variants at The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection: The Miller's Son As sung by Bill Baker, Saint Paul, Arkansas on October 27, 1973. There Was a Miller As sung by Mr. Fred Smith, Bentonville, Arkansas on January 20, 1960. | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 16 Dec 02 - 05:09 pm | |
From G. Malcolm Laws, Jr., American Balladry from British Broadsides (American Folklore Society, pp. 282-283): Q 21 THE MILLER'S WILL (The Miller's Three Sons) To decide which of his three sons should be left the mill, the dying miller asks each how much toll he would take. Heck answers that he would take a peck from each bushel and Ralph says he'd steal half. The miller is displeased until the youngest son says he would take three pecks and leave one. His father says he has learned his trade well and gives him the mill. There was an old miller and he was well known; He had three sons who were well nigh grown; He came to die--to make his will; He had nothing to give but an old tub mill Refrain Fa-de-re-de-ri-you-die-you-die. Fa-de-re-de-ri. Henry, Folk-Songs. 192, 10 (N.C.); 10 Tenn.?). Belden, 244, 8; 7; 8 (Mo.) Refs. Brown, 441, 10 and ref.; 8; add. sts. (N.C.). Chappell, 183, 4 (N.C.). Cox, 450, 71/2 and ref.; 7 and ref. (W. Va.) Tune, p. 531. Creighton and Senior, 234, 10, m. (N.S.) . Creighton, 203, 10 and ref., m. (N.S.). Eddy, 167, 9, m.; 10, m. (O.). Flanders-Barry, 11, 10, m. (Vt.) Notes and refs. Gardner, 247, 10, m. (Mich.). Morris, 381, 7, m.; 2 (Fla.). Randolph I, 359, 7, m.; 2; I (Ark.) ; 20 couplets and ref., m. (Mo.). Scarborough, 240, 9 (Ky.); 7 (N.C.). Sharp II, 221, 11, m. (Ky.); 10, m. (N.C.). Thomas, Devil's Ditties. 80, 9, m. (Ky.). JAF 35, 390, 9 and ref., m. (O.) Refs. JAF 46, 11 (N.C.). Baring-Gould, 24, 5d, m. (W. of Eng.). Greig, xli, 10 sts. (Scot.). Williams, 192, 10 (Wilts.). Broadsides: (B) No imprint, "The Miller's Advice to his Three Sons, in Taking of Toll." (Item 1988 in the Harvard Catalogue). Roxburghe Ballads VIII, 611, 10 sts. (Aldermary Churchyard). ~Masato | ||
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