There Was a Jolly Miller Once
England Lyrics
Lived on the river Dee;
He worked and sang from morn till night,
No lark more blithe than he.
And this the burden of his song,
Forever used to be,
"I care for nobody, no! not I,
If nobody cares for me."
History and Meaning
This 18th-century traditional English folk song, also known as "The Miller of the Dee," originated from the Chester area in northwest England and tells of a miller on the River Dee who was said to be so wealthy that even Henry VIII envied him. The song reflects the independence and contentment of the miller's profession. It was notably featured in the 1762 ballad opera "Love in a Village," which premiered on December 8, 1762, at London's Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. This opera, composed by Thomas Arne with a libretto by Isaac Bickerstaff, was the first English comic opera to combine popular folk tunes with newly composed music and enjoyed remarkable success with 368 stagings between 1762 and 1800, surpassing contemporary Shakespearean productions.