"The Miller's Will" is a traditional folk song that has been performed by many artists, including Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. The song tells the story of an old miller who is nearing the end of his life and needs to pass on his possessions, particularly his grist mill, to one of his three sons. The miller calls each of his sons one by one and asks them what toll they would take if they were to become millers. The eldest son, Bill, suggests taking a gill (a small unit of measurement) out of each bushel. The old man dismisses this answer, believing it to be too little. The second son, Ralph, suggests taking half a bushel as his toll. Again, the old man deems this insufficient. Finally, the youngest son, Paul, proudly declares that he would take all of the grain as his toll. This answer pleases the old man, and he exclaims "Hallelujah." In the end, the miller dies, and he is buried in a small box grave. The lyrics suggest that some doubt whether the miller's soul was saved in the afterlife. The song concludes with the suggestion that the miller may have gone the "other way," implying that he may have ended up in the realm of the damned. Overall, "The Miller's Will" is a light-hearted and somewhat humorous song that explores themes of family, inheritance, and the uncertainty surrounding one's fate after death.
