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I want to dream like Mrs Butler dreams
She walks in like a memory, strolling reality
Or so it seems
She walks out like a ghost
Making the most of her see-through perambulation
Haunting the house
Haunting the house of her dreams
So I imagine a house not too large
A staircase and bookcases, old leather suitcases
Wide open windows and chairs by the fire
Crows on the rooftop and salt on the stovetop
And herbs hanging down from the ceiling
I want to dream like Mrs Butler dreams
She walks in like a memory, strolling reality
Or so it seems
She walks out like a ghost
Making the most of her see-through perambulation
Haunting the house
Haunting the house of her dreams
Haunting the house of her dreams
So I envision a garden run wild
With mint and forget-me-not, monkshood and hollyhock
Lavender, bedstraw and gold marguerite
Crows in the seedbeds and wind blowing seedheads
And bread left with cream by the hedgerow
I want to dream like Mrs Butler dreams
She walks in like a memory, strolling reality
Or so it seems
She walks out like a ghost
Making the most of her see-through perambulation
Haunting the house
Haunting the house of her dreams
Haunting the house of her dreams
So I will conjure a place all my own
A hedge witch’s haven, a life to be brave in
Trees on the walls like the woods have come
Wandering into my nemeton
Witnessing all that I’m breathing out into the forest
I want to dream like Mrs Butler dreams
She walks in like a memory, strolling reality
Or so it seems
She walks out like a ghost
Making the most of her see-through perambulation
Haunting the house
Haunting the house of her dreams
Haunting the house of her dreams
Haunting the house of her dreams
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2. |
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You didn’t think I meant it when I said I’d chuck you out
You thought you could prevent it and you tried to wait me out
But I’ve got nails in these 4 corners and I’ve got gumption in my spine
When you step across my threshold
You ain’t coming back inside
You are gone, gone, gone from this room
Gone, gone, gone
I will sweep you out with my broom
Sweep you out
You’re hoping I’ll forget it - all the shit you threw at me
You predict that I’ll forgive it
Tied yourself up to that tree
But I’m not coming out to save you when the storm begins to growl
They’re your knots so you untie them ‘cause the weather’s turning foul
And you are gone, gone, gone from this room
Gone, gone, gone
I will sweep you out with my broom
Sweep you out
The fire’s all a-crackle and my house is toasty warm
I have practically forgotten that you’re out there in this storm
But it’s a storm of your devising that I’ve weathered long enough
When I look out of my window I can see the sun come up
Now that you’re gone, gone, gone from this room
Gone, gone, gone
I will sweep you out with my broom
Sweep you out
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3. |
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Crow flight
Inky delight
Mirrored we meet
Me with grounded feet
Crow flight
Mischievous sight
Twisting the wind
Playful spirit spin
Twisting with the wind
Playful spirit
Crow song
Carried along
I hear the call
Mirrored in us all
Can you hear the call
Mirrored in us?
Crow kin
All you have been
Night becomes day
Life becomes decay
Crow kin
Welcome me in
Mirrored I fly
Feather bone and sky
Mirrored I will fly
Feather and bone
Mirrored I will fly
Feather and bone
Mirrored I will fly
Feather and bone and sky
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4. |
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There’s something wicked in the cellar
Something wicked on the stairs
There’s something wicked in the mirror
But no one in this household cares
There’s something wicked on the doorstep
Something wicked in the wings
There’s something wicked in the spotlight
And this is how wicked sings
It’s not in the flesh you’ll find poison
It’s down in the pips if you swallow too much
Salvation’s in moderation
But it’s not (so they say) in the touch
You can’t fall from grace with one little taste
Believe me, I’ve already tried
From the juice on my lips to the curve of my hips
I promise you babe it’s no lie
I've heard that they call me a serpent
A mother of demons and kind
A dragon, a raven, a nightmare
They’ve never quite made up their minds
Oh I’ve got a wingspan and sure I’ve got claws
I know how to get things done
I can see in the dark where I practice my arts
This is how wicked comes
So let’s weigh the pros and the cons here
Oh that’s right you can’t - you don’t know what you are
You have all the proper potential
But that alone won’t get you far
If you want to see what you’ll otherwise be
Your eyes they’ve got to be clear
You’ve been created to sate not be sated
Just who is the enemy here?
Oh I've heard that they call me a serpent
A mother of demons and kind
A dragon, a raven, a nightmare
They’ve never quite made up their minds
Oh I’ve got a wingspan and sure I’ve got claws
I know how to get things done
I can see in the dark where I practice my arts
This is how wicked comes
There’s something wicked in your mind dear
Something wicked in your heart
There’s something wicked in us all
That keeps us from breaking apart
There’s something wicked in defiance
Something wicked in control
There’s something wicked in awareness
That we are the queens of our souls
Oh I've heard that they call me a serpent
A mother of demons and kind
A dragon, a raven, a nightmare
They’ve never quite made up their minds
Oh I’ve got a wingspan and sure I’ve got claws
I know how to get things done
I can see in the dark where I practice my arts
This is how wicked comes
There’s something wicked on the doorstep
Something wicked in the wings
There’s something wicked in the spotlight
And this is how wicked sings
Something wicked this way comes
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5. |
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One sorrow treads upon another's heels
So fast they follow
One willow grows along a glassy stream
That flows by
There are nettles in the daisies
And thorns upon the rose
Some girls sing in riddles
Only Ophelia knows
(Doubt thou the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt truth to be a liar)
One lover beats upon another's heart
So fast they follow
One mother wakes to find a broken dream
That flows by
There are nettles in the daisies
And thorns upon the rose
Some girls sing in riddles
Only Ophelia knows
(Doubt thou the stars are fire
Doubt that the sun doth move
Doubt truth to be a liar, to be a liar
Doubt truth to be a liar, to be a liar)
One minnow lost upon another hook
So fast they follow
One widow winds along a silver stream
That flows by
There are nettles in the daisies
And thorns upon the rose
(Doubt truth to be a liar)
Some girls sing in riddles
Only Ophelia knows
No muddy death for me
Flowers hanging from the tree
Madly I played the part
Wild I am running free
Nothing now will tarry me
(Doubt truth to be a liar)
There are nettles in the daisies
And thorns upon the rose
Some girls sing in riddles
Only Ophelia knows
There are secrets in the poppies
That women know to save
Some girls sing in riddles
Over Ophelia's grave
There are nettles in the daisies
And thorns upon the rose
(Doubt truth to be a liar, to be a liar)
Some girls sing in riddles
Only Ophelia knows
Some girls sing in riddles
(But never doubt I love)
Only Ophelia knows
Some girls sing in riddles
(Never doubt I love)
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6. |
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She had mud caked to the hem of her dress
It was wet
Her boots squelched through it
As she dragged it thick ‘cross my kitchen floor
Every step was deliberate
Her long coat was thin like she’d worn it in spring
It was frayed
It had rained and rained
Back when she had walked on her final day
Her wild hair framed a face that wasn’t there
She followed me home from the cemetery
She watched me sleep
She was the basement creak
She was the woman in the window with the cavernous stare
Round every corner she was everywhere
She was rage and wrath and so dispossessed
Holding fast to the body she’d left
When she stared me down she leaned into it
And what she said to me I will never forget
She said, you can see me
And you can hear me
And if you can see and hear me then you know
I didn’t die willingly
I didn’t die willingly
She followed me home from the cemetery
She watched me sleep
She was the basement creak
She was the woman in the window with the cavernous stare
Round every corner she was everywhere
When I looked into her hollowed out eyes
I saw the tear
I saw the sticks in her hair
I heard a voice say
You can sever all ties and solve the crime
Make your vengeance mine
I said, I can see you
And I can feel you
But I can’t undo what’s been done to you
And I can’t do what you ask me to
I can’t do what you’re asking me to do
She followed me home from the cemetery
She watched me sleep
She was the basement creak
She was the woman in the window with the cavernous stare
Round every corner she was everywhere
She followed me home
She watched me sleep
She was the basement creak
She was the woman in the window with the cavernous stare
Round every corner she was everywhere
Round every corner she was everywhere
She followed me home
She followed me home
I can see you
But I can’t help you
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7. |
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Welcome to the temple of the shadow
Ladies, we have gathered here to learn
If you've got a mind to learn your poisons
Never fear: the tide’s about to turn
A tiny little taste of belladonna
Just a hint of henbane in the wine
All you acolytes of aconitum
Hemlock in the honey is divine
(Hemlock in the honey is divine)
This elixir’s made by La Toffana
Women just like you have broken free
Microdosing soups in slow succession
Aqueta’s a lethal recipe
La Voisin will help if you’re in trouble
Tormentil will ease you out of pain
Peony may keep you from your madness
Cyclamen will wash away that stain
(Hemlock in the honey is divine)
Laudanum may have the means to cure you
Janus plants will heal until they kill
If you cannot give the proper dosage
All you’re gonna do is make them ill
Hearts will skip a beat for digitalis
Evening primrose causes blood to flow
Black cohosh will help you with your menses
Plant them in your garden, watch them grow
(Trouble are you trouble are you madness
Welcome to the temple of the shadow
Hearts will skip a beat
Hemlock in the honey is divine)
A tiny little taste of belladonna
Just a hint of henbane in the wine
All you acolytes of aconitum
Hemlock in the honey is divine
It's divine
(Trouble are you trouble are you madness
Hemlock in the honey is divine)
Welcome to the temple of the shadow
It's divine
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8. |
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(Samhain)
From the storm cloud the rain falls
From the tree branch the leaves are falling
From the heavens the wind calls
And the bean-sídhe’s voice is calling
(Winter Solstice)
Starlight shines upon us now
Snowflakes fall to the ground
Icicles hang from the pine tree bough
Stillness and silence abound
(Imbolc)
Spindles and fingers reach into the bleak sky
Life slumbers under a blanket of earth
Kindle, awaken, let memory be shaken
Midnight is passed; for light a rebirth
(Spring Equinox)
Bud, bud, open up now to the
Sun, sun, warm up our bones
Rain, rain, loosen the soil as a
Bird, bird, daybreak intones
(Bealtaine)
Lie on the sweet grass and drink in the light
Let your heart soar like a swallow in flight
Lift up your eyes to the blossoming trees
And breathe in the newness of life on the breeze
(Summer Solstice)
Climb, climb up to the hilltop
To greet the rising sun
Bask in its rays and sing out your praise
Before the sweet darkness has come
(Lughnasadh)
Harvest the fruits of your labour in the morning
Share in the feast of your bounty at noon
Kick off your shoes and go dancing in the evening
Welcome the night with a high, haunting tune
(Autumn Equinox)
Blustery the weather that brings us all together
Beside the hearth we gather with thankfulness we sing
When cold it is at night time and day’s a sunny bright time
Then reddening the leaves are and fruit is ripening
(Samhain)
From the storm cloud the rain falls
From the tree branch the leaves are falling
From the heavens the wind calls
And the bean-sídhe’s voice is calling
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"Hemlock Honey and Crows" is an album of songs for the season - my favourite season! Songs of storms, spells and hauntings. Wild gardens and those who plant them. Death, healing and magic. Crows, riddles and dreams. From the women who ran the so-called poisoner schools of old, to the ghosts who follow us home, these songs tell stories round the fire.
For 8 weeks in September and October 2021, a track from this album will be released in demo form every Friday. These versions are just me and the piano. Download each new track every Friday for any price you choose. On the final Friday of October - just before Samhain - I'll release the finalized album with guest musicians galore.
released September 3, 2021
All songs written, recorded, produced by Leslie Hudson
Videos made with Canva Pro