There was a jolly miller once lived on the river Dee;
He danced and sang from morn till night, no lark so blithe as he;
And this the burden of his song forever used to be
"I care for nobody, no not I, if nobody cares for me."
I live by my mill, God bless her! she's kindred, child, and wife;
I would not change my station for any other in life;
No lawyer, surgeon, or doctor e'er had a groat from me;
I care for nobody, no not I if nobody cares for me."
When spring begins his merry career, oh, how his heart grows gay;
No summer's drought alarms his fear, nor winter's cold decay;
No foresight mars the miller's joy, who's wont to sing and say,
"Let others toil from year to year, I live from day to day."
Thus, like the miller, bold and free, let us rejoice and sing;
The days of youth are made for glee, and time is on the wing;
This song shall pass from me to thee, along the jovial ring;
Let heart and voice and all agree to say, "Long live the king."
Isaac Bickerstaff 1733-1787
Isaac Bickerstaff (sometimes Bickerstaffe) was born on or about September 26th 1733 in Dublin. He was the son of a servant and he himself became page to Lord Chesterfield. He entered the army as a young boy and served as an officer in the Northumberland Fusiliers, presumably through Chesterfield's patronage. Bickerstaff wrote several plays but is perhaps best known for his Jolly Miller folk song which was later parodied by Mackay. This was written sometime in the 1780s as part of a satirical drama (Love in a Village) written by Bickerstaff.I t was later parodied by Charles MacKay http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/81455-Charles-Mackay-The-Miller-Of-Dee © by owner. provided at no charge for educational purposes