Song Description

The Tatterdemalion is a mythical forest creature who warns people of coming danger. Here, the danger is the elves, who will steal her away.

Lyrics

Late one night, so my sister says, she was walking on home down the forest path. As she walked along, it grew so dark she couldn't see the night. She thought she heard a voice so pure with a wail and a moan and a cryin' sure. And in front of her from behind the trees came a shadow made of light (and the shadow said)

(chorus)
Ho, darlin' don't you go where the water don't flow and the winds do blow and the trees stand tall and the mushrooms grow in a perfect circle-ring. Ho darlin' don't you know, when you wanna dance, you can hear them sing and your feet will fly to the magic wood and you'll never be seen again.

Well the Fey-folk came and they danced around and their lantern lights bobbed up and down and her feet got happy and they left the ground and she floated in the air. While the fiddlers fiddled and the piper played she danced in the middle of the frightful fray till she stubbed her toe on a treebranch high and feel to the earth in fear (and the shadow said)

(chorus)

My sister woke to rain pouring down, not a sound or a sight or a soul around. She ran through the forest like a crazy hound like the devil's chasin' her. She burst in the house and fell into bed. The look on her face was a frightful dread and with tremblin' lips my sister said in a voice that barely stirred (she said)

(chorus)