| is "a" an informal version of "on" |
|
Not really. It's a remnant of older English, where
-ing words were frequently prefixed with the syllable
a-.
a-going, a-dancing, a-singing. (There may even be a connection with the evolution of such
a- words as
asleep, awake, across, and
around.)
I'm sure that one of our forum members who is well versed in the
history of the English language can explain it better, but that's the
basic idea.
For some reason, the form has survived in certain kinds of music.
CJ