The Witch's Reel

or Gelie Duncan's song

The words for this song were written down in a court in Edinburgh more than four hundred years ago. A group of women from East Lothian were accused of being witches including Gelie Duncan. This is one of the songs they were supposed to have sung. They were all found guilty and cruelly executed. None of them were witches. King James VI, who ruled Scotland at this time, believed the country was full of witches and many were unjustly executed on such grounds until the Witchcraft Act passed in the reign of his mother Mary Queen of Scots, was finally repealled in 1735.

| Play song :
Performed by Chanten

 

THE WITCH’S REEL

or Gelie Duncan's Song

Cummer, go ye before, cummer, go ye
If ye willna go before, cummer, let me
Ring-a-ring-a-widdershins
Linkin’, lithely widdershins
Cummer, carlin, crone and queen
Roun’ go we

Cummer, go ye before, cummer, go ye
If ye willna go before, cummer, let me
Ring-a-ring-a-widdershins
Loupin, lightly widdershins
Kilted coats and fleein’ hair
Three times three

Cummer, go ye before, cummer, go ye
If ye willna go before, cummer, let me
Ring-a-ring-a-widdershins
Whirlin’, skirlin’ widdershins
De’il tak’ the hindmost
Wha’er she be

Some difficult words:

cummer, carlin and crone = are all words for “witch”
ring-a-widdershins = go anti-clockwise in a circle (meant to be bad luck)
linkin’ lithely = join arm in arm
loupin’ = jumping
skirlin’ = screaming or howling
de’il = the devil