The band's name derives from banjoist Leonard Podolak's earlier band Scruj MacDuhk (pronounced Scrugg MachDuke). MacDuhk was a warrior chieftain who fought with William Wallace, resisting English occupation of Scotland, during the reign of King Edward I. The entire name is a wordplay on the Disney character Scrooge McDuck created by Carl Barks.
In March of 2007 lead singer and budding songwriter Jessee Havey left the band to pursue other interests. Singer Sarah Dugas joined the band in July of 2007 and is on the road with The Duhks.
In late 2007, percussionist Scott Senior left the band to spend more time with his family, as his partner, Tara Beckta, was expecting their second child. Christian Dugas, Sarah's brother and a former bandmate of Leonard Podolak, has since joined The Duhks. Other members are fiddler Tania Elizabeth and guitarist Jordan McConnell.
In October 2007 The Duhks Sustainability Project http://www.greenduhks.com was launched to raise awareness about ways to live a more economically-viable and ecologically-sustainable lifestyle. In April 2008, The Duhks performed a post Earth Day benefit in Nederland, Colorado.
In spring 2016, the band announced that they would no longer be touring. They have not released any new music since 2014.
http://www.duhks.com
Le Meunier et la Jeune Fille / Les Quatre Fer en L'air
The Duhks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qui voulait faire moudre son grain tiguedin
Cétait une jeune fille
Qui voulait faire moudre son grain tiguedin
Oh! elle prit son sac à moudre et s'en va au moulin
Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna
Voudrais-tu moudre mon grain tiguedin?
Beau meunier, beau meunier
Voudrais-tu moudre mon grain tiguedin?
La Belle s'est endormie, oh! su'l tic tac du moulin
Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna
Ah oui, ah! fit l'enfant, tout-ci, tout-ça
Ti ta ti ... Ti ta ti ...
Quand elle s'est réveillée
Son p'tit sac était plein tiguedin
Quand elle s'est réveillée
Son p'tit sac était plein tiguedin
Oh! que va dire ma mère de voir mon p'tit sac plein
Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna
Ah oui, ah! fit l'enfant, tout-ci, tout-ça
Ti ta ti ... Ti ta ti ...
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Oh! que va dire ma mére
De voir mon p'tit sac plein tiguedin
Oh! que va dire ma mére
De voir mon p'tit sac plein tiguedin
Tu diras à ta mère que c'est du sarrasin
Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna
Ah oui, ah! fit l'enfant, tout-ci, tout-ça
Ti ta ti ... Ti ta ti ...
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
Nous sommes en train de moudre
The song “Le Meunier et la Jeune Fille / Les Quatre Fer en L'air” is a traditional French-Canadian folk song about a young girl who takes her sack of grain to the mill to be ground. The song is sung in call-and-response style with a chorus of “Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna” between each verse.
In the first verse, the young girl takes her sack to the mill and asks the handsome miller to grind her grain. She falls asleep to the sound of the mill and wakes up to find her sack full. She worries about what her mother will think of her carrying a full sack because she did not have much grain to begin with. The miller tells her to say that it’s buckwheat, but the real message of the song seems to be that the miller may have taken advantage of the sleeping girl.
The second part of the song introduces a different melody and different lyrics, about four young men who are causing trouble in the town. It is unclear how this relates to the first part of the song, but it could suggest that the miller is not to be trusted and that there are other untrustworthy characters in the town.
Overall, the song tells a story about trust and vulnerability, particularly of young women in a society where men hold the power. The call-and-response style suggests a community coming together to share this story and the recurring “Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna” reinforces the idea of constant motion and change.
Line by Line Meaning
Cétait une jeune fille
Once there was a young girl
Qui voulait faire moudre son grain tiguedin
Who wanted to grind her wheat into flour
Oh! elle prit son sac à moudre et s'en va au moulin
So she took her sack of wheat and went to the mill
Ti-guedi-guedi-guedi Canada tourna
And the millstone turned round and round
Beau meunier, beau meunier
Beautiful miller, beautiful miller
Voudrais-tu moudre mon grain tiguedin?
Would you grind my wheat into flour?
La Belle s'est endormie, oh! su'l tic tac du moulin
The girl fell asleep to the ticking of the mill
Ah oui, ah! fit l'enfant, tout-ci, tout-ça
Ah yes, ah! said the girl, everything went well
Quand elle s'est réveillée
When she woke up
Son p'tit sac était plein tiguedin
Her little sack was full of flour
Oh! que va dire ma mère de voir mon p'tit sac plein
Oh, what will my mother say when she sees my little sack full?
Nous sommes en train de moudre
We are grinding
Tu diras à ta mère que c'est du sarrasin
Tell your mother it's buckwheat
Contributed by Liliana N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.