What does “a'walking” mean?

Question

The title of Elvis Presley’s song: The girl next door went a'walking.
What does a’ mean?

Answer 1

To prefix a verb gerund with a- is an archaic dialect form.

It existed from the 16th century and these days survives mainly in rural dialects in the USA, in which many of Elvis Presley's songs were sung.

It has two main meanings:

Engaged in - The bells are a-ringing, the band is a-playing.

Motion to, into - I'm going a-shopping. The bus is a-coming.