The Parson and the Maid

The Parson & the Maid

The notion is prevalent among folksingers that the most goatish of men are millers and clerics. In the past, poor men were often at the mercy of the grasping miller and the crafty monk, and, by way of revenge, country singers have delighted in fantasies which end in these two enemies being brought down by their own lusts. This song, earlier known as The Monk and The Maid, came to Suffolk from the north east of England. The tune is of Scottish origin, a variant of the well-known drinking song, Andro wi' his Cutty Gun.