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Do you have, in your files, a collection of mill music?
Specifically, what I'm referring to are songs or other
musical pieces which have references to mills, milling,
millers and the like.

A most obvious example is, of course, the familiar DOWN
BY THE OLD MILL STREAM.

The idea of mill music came to me recently when I came
across an old tune suggested to me back in the 1960s,
when I was learning to play banjo. Can't e-mail the
notes to you, but its square-dance music. You might
enjoy the words to it-

OLD MAN AT THE MILL

(Chorus)

Same old man livin' at the mill,
The mill turned around of its own free will,
Hand in the hopper and the other in the sack,
Ladies, step forward, and the gents fall back.

Well, down sat an owl and he said all quiet,
A lonesome day and a lonesome night,
Thought I heard a pretty bird sneeze,
Lord Almighty, sleep next day.

(Chorus)

Well, if, said the raven, as she flew,
If I was a young one, I'd have two;
One for to kid and the other to sow,
And I'd have a string for my bubble bow.

(Chorus)

Well, my old man is in Kalamazoo,
He don't wear no yes I do,
First to the left and then to the right,
This old mill is going to stay all night.

(Chorus)


Lots of working songs were brought from other countries,
like England, by the early colonists. Here are the words
to a relevant one of those called

GOOD OLD COLONY TIMES

In good old colony times, when we lived under the
king,
Three roguish chaps fell into mishaps, because
they could not sing.
Because they could not sing, because they could
not sing,
Three roguish chaps fell into mishaps, because
they could not sing.

Oh, the first he was a miller, and the second he
was a weaver,
And the third he was a little tailor, three
roguish chaps together...

Oh, the miller he stole corn, and the weaver he
stole yarn,
And the little tailor ran right away with the
broadcloth under his arm...

The miller was drowned in his dam, and the weaver
got hung in his yarn,
And the devil clept his claws on the little tailor
with the broadcloth under his arm...



Have you ever run across a miller who sang while he
worked? If I come across any more mill music, I'll
be sure to let you know.

An Edinboro Reader

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