Witchcraft 101

8 weeks ago by @philkmills

Witchcraft 101

philkmills

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Liner Notes

#filk #acoustic #pratchett

This was inspired by a section of the Terry Pratchett book "Wintersmith" that discusses the expectations and the needs of people on Discworld concerning witches, where they differ and where they overlap.

Lyrics

You trade your bed for broomstick
When it’s twenty-three below
To find a single lamb that’s lost,
Freezing in the snow.
You carry it to shelter,
Moving warmth beneath its skin.
The reward's a steaming teacup
And a shepherd’s grateful grin.

People, plants, and creatures: all their ways
Seasoned with a grain
Of magic
To take away the pain.

A woman nearing childbirth
Calls a witch to ease the day.
It’s not so much the things you bring
As those you keep away:
The loneliness, the worry,
Fear she isn’t strong
And that nattering old biddy
Who recites what might go wrong.

People, plants, and creatures: all their ways
Seasoned with a grain
Of magic
To take away the pain.

Some may sprinkle glitter on their hats,
But work leaves little time for silliness like that.
Some are buying gimmicks from a store.
That’s fine once they’ve learned what to use them for.

When a life is over
And its owner meets with DEATH,
You check the pulse behind an ear.
A mirror tests for breath.
You sit, awake, to verify
The spirit’s truly gone,
Has not reclaimed its body
In those hours before dawn.

People, plants, and creatures: all their ways
Seasoned with a grain
Of magic
To take away the pain.

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