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Bess Millie

from Land and Sea (2017) by Bob Leslie

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about

Bessie Millie, the Stromness Witch, sold winds and lucky charms to sailors.
She lived to be over 100 years old. As a young witch, she was hired by Orcadian smugglers to put a curse on the revenue cutter. The government sailors were frightened to leave port, and their Captain threatened to burn down her house if she didn't lift the curse. She agreed, but is also reputed to have sold him a wind!
Late in life, she was visited by Sir Walter Scott, and told him stories of John Gow, the pirate, whom she had briefly known many years before. Scott incorporated what she told him in his novel The Pirate. He also bought a wind!

lyrics

She selt winds tae sailors, an luck charms tae whalers
An blissins tae Hudson's Bay men
They wid come tae Bess Millie, an pey her right freely
Tae mak sure they'd see land again
Fore they'd tak sail fae Orkney, they'd struggle up Brinkie's Brae
An the spaewife the islands aa kent
For sixpence wid sell them a breeze in a bag
An they'd aa coont hid money weel spent

Whin the revenue cutter cam up tae the islands
Tae pit doon the smugglers' schemes
She curst Captain Phillips, an threitent his crew
Tae send them aa tae Fidler's Green
But the Captain he stuid firm an telt her he'd burn doon
Her hoos gin she didna gie in
Sa they made an accord, an she blisst aa on board
Even offert tae sell him a wind

Eyes blue as the seas whar folk claimt she'd bin seen
Conversin wi selkies an trows
Near a hunder year owld whin she telt Walter Scott
The tale o the pirate, John Gow
No a teeth in her heid, bit still shairp as a blade
An the author wrote doon every line
Then she bylt up her tea an she spak him a spell
Sa the rest o his travels war fine

She selt winds tae sailors, an luck charms tae whalers
An aa their hopes oan her war peend
Bess Millie the spaewife o owld Stromness toun
A real seafarers' fair-wither freend

credits

from Land and Sea (2017), released August 1, 2017

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all rights reserved

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Bob Leslie Glasgow, UK

Bob Leslie's music is now available on a "NAME YOUR OWN PRICE" basis!
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“I can think of no other songwriter who has mined this rich vein
with such lyrical ease and with no mean ear for melody. ”
Alan Reid, Battlefield Band ... more

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