Lyr Add: The Miller's Will / Miller's Three Sons

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MILLER'S WILL / MILLER'S THREE SONS
From: Fairy Hill
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 01:00 AM

This is a song handed down through my mother's family in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. It seems to be of English origin. I have not encountered it anywhere else. I would love to hear if anyone else has.

There was an old miller who had three sons,
And they were young and gay.
And when he went to make his will.
He didn't have nothing but a little old mill.
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

Well he called up the youngest son,
"Son, oh son, my race is run,
Unto you this will I'll make
If you tell me the toll you're going to take."
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

"Well Dad, oh Dad, my name's Ec.
Dad, oh Dad, my name's Ec.
Dad, oh Dad my name's Ec.
And out of a bushel I'll take a peck."
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

"You're a fool!" the old man cried.
"You're a fool!" the old man cried.
"You're a fool!" the old man cried,
"Such a toll as that wouldn't keep a man alive!"
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

So he called up the second son.
"Son, oh son, my race is run.
Unto you this will I'll make,
If you'll tell me the toll you're going to take."
Tumerink tuma tralalaladay.

"Well, Dad, oh Dad my name's Rafe,
Dad, oh Dad my name's Rafe,
Dad, oh Dad my name's Rafe,
And out of a bushel I'll take a half (hafe)"
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

"You're a fool," the old man said.
"You're a fool," the old man said.
"You're a fool," the old man said,
"Such a toll as that wouldn't keep a man in bread."
Tumerink tuma tralalaladay.

So he called up the youngest son.
"Son, oh son my race is run.
Unto you this will I'll make,
If you'll tell me the toll you're going to take."
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

"Oh, Dad oh, Dad I'm your boy.
Dad oh, Dad, I'm your boy.
Dad oh Dad, I'm your boy,
And taking toll is all my joy."
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay

"If taking toll is all I lack,
If taking toll is all I lack,
If taking toll is all I lack,
I'll take all the corn and swear to the sack."
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

"Halie-Halieluja!" the old woman cried.
"Halie-Halieluja!" the old woman cried.
"Halie-Halieluja!" the old woman cried.
And the old man shut his eyes and died.
Tumerink, tuma tralalaladay.

Subject: RE: Their was and old Miller
From: masato sakurai
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 01:41 AM

Three versions are in the DT:

THERE WAS AN OLD MILLER (3)

THE MILLER'S WILL (2)

MILLER'S WILL.

For English versions and other info, see The Miller And His Sons at the folkinfo site.

~Masato

Subject: RE: There Was an Old Miller / Miller's Will
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:18 AM

Can't say I'm familiar with this song, but it certainly has a lengthy entry in the Traditional Ballad Index:

Miller's Will, The (The Miller's Three Sons) [Laws Q21]

DESCRIPTION: The dying miller, to decide which of his three sons will inherit, asks each boy how much he would charge. The first son would take an honest toll; the second, half; the last, all and swear to the sack. The miller joyfully gives the mill to the last son
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1764 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 5(7))
KEYWORDS: death father children robbery crime bequest lastwill
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,NE,SE,So) Canada(Mar) Britain(England(All),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (23 citations):
Laws Q21, "The Miller's Will (The Miller's Three Sons)"
Belden, pp. 244-246, "The Miller and his Three Sons" (3 texts)
Randolph 359, "There Was an Old Miller" (4 texts plus an excerpt, 3 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 126-129, "There Was an Old Miller" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 91D)
Eddy 61, "The Dishonest Miller" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Gardner/Chickering 98, "The Dying Miller" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 177, "The Miller and His Three Sons" (2 text plus 5 excerpts and mention of 3 more)
Chappell-FSRA 106, "The Miller" (1 fragment)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 240-242, "The Miller's Advice to His Three Sons, on Taking of Toll" (2 texts, both called "The Old Miller"; 2 tunes on p. 419)
JHCoxIIB, #18A-B, pp. 163-165, "The Miller and His Sons," "The Miller" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp.234-236 , "The Miller of Derbyshire" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 94, "The Miller" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 56, "The Miller's Will" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 232, "The Miller's Last Will" (1 text, 1 tune)
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 58-59, "The Miller and His Sons" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 80-81, "The Miller's Will" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chase, pp. 144-145, "The Miller's Will" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 546-547, "The Miller's Three Sons" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 155, "The Dishonest Miller" (3 texts plus mention of six more, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 149-151, "The Miller's Will" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 120, "The Miller" (1 text)
BBI, ZN2524, "There was a miller who had three sons"
DT 348, MILLWILL MILLWIL2 MILLWIL3*
Roud #138
RECORDINGS:
Horton Barker, "The Miller's Will" (on Barker01)
Carson Brothers & Sprinkle, "The Old Miller's Will" (OKeh 45398, 1929; on TimesAint01)
Margaret MacArthur, "New Hampshire Miller" (on MMacArthur01)
New Lost City Ramblers, "The Miller's Will" (on NLCR04)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 5(7), "The Miller's Advice to His Three Sons, in Taking of Toll," W. and C. Dicey (London) , 1736-1763; also Douce Ballads 4(44), "The Miller's Advice to His Three Sons, in Taking of Toll"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Old Miller Rake
File: LQ21

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Subject: RE: There Was an Old Miller / Miller's Will
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 09 Aug 06 - 03:42 AM

NIce simple set of words sung by Walter Pardon from Norfolk, East Anglia on vinyl of the Miller's will

In my opinion English 'traditional' origins

Ray

Subject: RE: There Was an Old Miller / Miller's Will
From: GUEST,Sandy Paton
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 12:58 AM

I recorded Horton Barker, blind trditional singer from Chilhowie, Virginia, singing this one. That was before I started Folk-Legacy Records (1961), so I gave the tapes of his songs to Moe Asch at Folkways. The resulting record should be available now from Smithsonian/Folkways, perhaps as one of their "custom-made" CD-Rs.
    Horton was a fine old singer, easily accessible, even to the uninitiated. As a young man, he had sung at the White Top Festival in Virginia (1930s) put on by Anabel Buchanan. I may not be spelling her name right, but her partner in the venture was John Powell, a classical composer who borrowed heavily from folksong. Unfortunately, he was also a classic southern racist. It was good that he dropped out of the festival management. While he was in a position of authority, it was strictly "whites only." The only African-American who ever got into the festival grounds was Eleanor Roosevelt's chauffer when she attended the event as a guest of honor.
    Sandy

Subject: Lyr Add: MILLER'S GOIN' FER TO DIE
From: Goose Gander
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 01:49 AM

MILLER'S GOIN' FER TO DIE

Jim Hurlburt
Visalia, 1940

There was an old miller
He's a goin' fer to die
When he died he made his will
When he died he made his will
Three old baskets, one on the mill.

He called up his oldest son
Son O son my life's most done
Son O son my life's at stake
And I want you to tell me the toll you'll take.

Dad O Dad my name is Heck
Dad O Dad my name is Heck
Dad O Dad my name is Heck
An' out a that bushel I'll take a peck.

Son sich a toll no man can live
Son sich a toll no man can live
Son sich a toll no man can live
And by such terms you'll get no will.

Tum-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-hoo-di-iddle-i-day

He called up his next oldest son
Son O son my life's most done
Son O son my life's at stake
And I want you to tell me the toll you'll take.

Dad O Dad my name is Ralph
Dad O Dad my name is Ralph
Dad O Dad my name is Ralph
And out of that bushel I'll take a half.

Son such a toll no man can live
Son such a toll no man can live
Son such a toll no man can live
And by such terms you'll get no will

Tum-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-hoo-di-iddle-i-day

He called up his youngest son
Son O son my life's most done
Son O son my Life's at stake
And I want you to tell me the toll you'll take.

Dad O Dad my name is a brave and a bonny boy
All I take it is my joy
And all your riches i do like -
I'll take the corn and sell the sack.

The old lady shouted and she howled and cried
The old lady shouted and she howled and cried
The old lady shouted and she howled and cried
And the old man kicked up his heels and died.

Turn-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-fract-i-riddle
Tum-a-fract-i-ay
Tum-a-hoo-di-iddle-i-day.

From Voices From the Dust Bowl

Sound file is there, too.

Subject: RE: There Was an Old Miller / Miller's Will
From: nutty
Date: 10 Aug 06 - 06:22 AM

As a matter of interest .... this seems to be the oldest broadside in the Bodleian library ......

Printer:         Dicey, W. and C. (London)
Date:         between 1736 and 1763
Imprint: Printed and Sold at the Printing-Office in B               Church-Yard, London
Illus. Ballads on sheet: 1

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