Intro-

In true I.School fashion, we take an obscure phrase and try to make sense of it. I picture Eight Maids-a-Milking like the pictures. 8 young, apron clad women literally milking cows. Isn’t that the image, the story conjured up within the song? Until this project, that was my minds picturesque scene as well. Step one. Break down each word. Step two. Search the origin of the words. Re-interpret. Three step process. The rest is left to you. The I.

Basic-

Eight: Octagon, in geometry, "a plane figure having eight angles and eight sides," 1650s, from Latin octagonos, from Greek oktagōnos, literally "eight-angled, eight-cornered," from okta- combining form of okto "eight" (see eight) + gōnia "angle," which is related to gony "knee" (from PIE root *genu- (1) "knee; angle"). Also octogon (1650s), from French octogone.

Maids: A word, used in Middle English of unmarried men as well as women (as in maiden-man, c. 1200, which was used of both sexes, reflecting also the generic use of man). From c. 1300 as "a virgin," also as "maidservant, female attendant, lady in waiting." By c. 1500 this had yielded the humbler sense of "female servant or attendant charged with domestic duties." Often with a qualifying word (housemaid, chambermaid, etc.); maid of all work "female servant who performs general housework" is by 1790.

Milk: "opaque white fluid secreted by mammary glands of female mammals, suited to the nourishment of their young,"

Proficient-

Proper definition of proficient is appropriate here. “Well-versed; to make progress; go forward, be useful” Advance. Interpretation.

Advanced-

Doubly Magic. Eight is considered a magic number in nuclear physics. Too advanced for me at this level of I.School, and I’m very interested into milking this topic more. A Quantum Leap.

It does not make sense.

As far as the Eighth verse in this song? My thought is this- Somewhere, sometime, somehow, for some reason, the meaning and/or words changed. The game (12 days of Christmas), rules reengineered.

“The exact origins and the meaning of the song are unknown, but it is highly probable that it originated from a children's memory and forfeit game”. History of Christmas Carols.

Time to Take a Break!

And the train conductor says
Take a break, Driver 8
Driver 8, take a break
We can reach our destination
But we're still a ways away, but it's still a ways away

Song #8 Playlist. “Driver 8",” by REM