O Ken Ye What Meg O' the Mill Has Gotten
written in 1793
O Ken Ye What Meg O' the Mill Has Gotten - meaning Summary
Gossip About Meg's Life
This short Scottish song recounts village gossip about Meg o' the Mill in plain, comic vignettes. Each stanza asks what Meg has gotten, loves, how she was married, and how she was bedded, then answers with earthy, humorous details: a shabby mare, a fondness for strong drink, a disorderly wedding, and a drunken groom. The repeated questions and refrains create a sing-song rhythm and emphasize communal mockery. The poem uses Scots dialect and folk-song tone to portray rural life and social talk rather than to offer moral judgment or deep psychological insight.
Read Complete AnalysesO ken ye what Meg o' the mill has gotten, An' ken ye what Meg o' the mill has gotten; A braw new naig wi' the tail o' a rottan, And that's what Meg o' the mill has gotten. O ken ye what Meg o' the Mill loes dearly, An' ken ye what Meg o' the Mill loes dearly; A dram o' gude strunt in the morning early, And that's what Meg o' the Mill loes dearly. O ken ye how Meg o' the mill was married, An' ken ye how Meg o' the Mill was married; The priest he was oxter'd, the Clerk he was carried, And that's how Meg o' the mill was married. O ken ye how Meg o' the mill was bedded, An' ken ye how Meg o' the mill was bedded? The groom gat sae fou', he fell awald beside it, And that's how Meg o' the Mill was bedded.
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