The elder is the lady’s tree
If you burn it or harm it
Then cursed shall ye be’
Oh, cursed shall ye be!
Twisted and aged up there on the hill
Where many believe waters heal the ill
Fetishes tied on her dance in the breeze
Left by the lame and those cursed with disease
For a mother of nature, a spirit so free
Dwells there in the shade of the old elder tree
Well does she listen, and well does she know
All that occurs where the elderflower grows
‘The elder is the lady’s tree
If you burn it or harm it then cursed shall ye be’
Cursed shall ye be
She shall come for thee
She tends it, protects it and keeps it from harm
She’ll defend it from all with her spells and her charms
Though you’ll never see her, be sure that she’s there
In the lee of the bough and the trunk is her lair
Don’t come with your axes, don’t come with your saws
Don’t try to claim what’s not rightfully yours
If you take without asking, without her consent
Then you’ll feel the touch of her grave discontent
Break not the branch, nor the root or the leaf
Whatever the nature of your belief
Not without offering, not without prayer
Not first without homage to she who lives there
But if first you would ask her, if you would appease
Then much of your malady might she then ease
For knowledge and magic in her does reside
She has the power of nature inside
The Eldermother watches
The Eldermother knows
The Eldermother dwells where the elder-flower grows
The Eldermother watches
The Eldermother knows
The Eldermother dwells where the elder-power flows
Hey! Hey! Lady of the tree
Grant a piece of your might and your mercy to me!
Hey! Hey! Lady of the tree
Grant the gift of your wisdom and light unto me!
