The Witch of the Westmoreland (Stan Rogers Cover)
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- I know Archie Fisher wrote the song but let’s be honest. No one can sing it like Stan. I don’t exactly stick the landing on this one and I’m still trying to figure out how to add more dynamics to it, but I had fun playing it. Hope you enjoy!
Also, I think the banjo is a little louder than my voice, so here's what I'm singing.
Pale was the wounded knight, that bore the rowan shield
Loud and cruel were the raven's cries that feasted on the field
Saying "Beck water cold and clear will never clean your wound
There's none but the witch of the Westmoreland can make thee hale and sound"
So turn, turn your stallion's head 'til his red mane flies in the wind
And the rider of the moon goes by and the bright star falls behind
And clear was the paley moon when his shadow passed him by
Below the hills were the brightest stars when he heard the owlet cry
Saying "Why do you ride this way, and wherefore came you here?"
"I seek the Witch of the Westmorland that dwells by the winding mere"
And it's weary by the Ullswater and the misty brake fern way
Til throught the cleft in the Kirkstane Pass the winding water lay
He said "Lie down, by brindled hound and rest ye, my good grey hawk
And thee, my steed may graze thy fill for I must dismount and walk,
But come when you hear my horn and answer swift the call
For I fear ere the sun will rise this morn ye will serve me best of all"
And it's down to the water's brim he's born the rowan shield
And the goldenrod he has cast in to see what the lake might yield
And wet she rose from the lake, and fast and fleet went she
One half the form of a maiden fair with a jet black mare's body
And loud, long and shrill he blew til his steed was by his side
High overhead the grey hawk flew and swiftly did he ride
Saying "Course well, my brindled hound, and fetch me the jet black mare
Stoop and strike, my good grey hawk, and bring me the maiden fair"
She said "Pray, sheathe thy silvery sword. Lay down thy rown shield
For I see by the briny blood that flows you've been wounded in the field"
And she stood in a gown of the velvet blue, bound round withh a silver chain
And she's kissed his pale lips once and twice and three times round again
And she's bound his wounds with the goldenrod, full fast in her arms he lay
And he has risen hale and sound with the sun high in the day
She said "Ride with your brindled hound at heel, and your good grey hawk in hand
There's none can harm the knight who's lain with the Witch of the Westmorland."
Hi all! As obscure as this song might be, I feel like it occupies a special place in the hearts of those who know it, and I know I'm not the only one who enjoys a fresh take on it. I recently stumbled on a version from The Small Glories, and it has become, hands down, one of my favorite versions ever. If I had to choose one word to describe it, that word would be "joyful." They really put their own stamp on it, and I love the harmonies. Listening to it is just pure elation. So I'm passing it on to the little community gathered here:
ua-cam.com/video/BqL2KTG7Ypw/v-deo.html
Thanks, and all the best! :)
100% agree with your first sentence. Being introduced to this song was all but a religious experience.
those are good harmonies. she has a little quiver in her voice. Not as gorgeous as yours
Both Archie Fisher and Stan Rogers would be proud of the way you did that song.
I wish I could like this twice.
Thanks, Brent!!
Nice going. It takes guts to sing this one. It's the fabulous Archie Fisher composition made famous by Stan Rogers.
I have to respect anyone who tries to cover stans vocals. Man had an earthen tone that is impossible to mimic. Great cover.
You should hear Stan's son sing, had to listen to a few songs a few times before I could tell it wasn't Stan
Thanks, wiggle! Yeah, Stan is inimitable. I'm so glad I found him! I feel like a lot of people have never heard his music and his voice is just unbelievable.
Awesome!! Couldnt have been a better cover! Stan would be proud
Thank you!!
Well done! 2:16 gives me goosebumps, just like Stan!!!
I love watching covers of Stan rogers, I looked this up thinking "nobodies done a cover to this song!" But sure enough, its you again lol. You rock Mary!
This song reminds me of something that happened to me not so long ago and had perhaps the most profound impact in my entire life.
About a year and a half ago, when the pandemic was mostly over and we were allowed to go to school again, I met the most magic girl I've ever known. She had pale green eyes and a beautiful raven hair that I still see in my dreams most nights. The story of her life was a sad one, with little love and plenty of betrayal, but she was always kind, or so I thought, and could see something fantastic in every little thing, a habit she gathered from the many books she'd read.
We became fast friends and would be together at all times. I was also an avid reader and knew how it felt to be alone, to be abandoned, and thought I found someone who understood me, someone I'd spend my entire life with.
One day, she invited me to a little gathering in her home. It was the first time I had been there, an old farmhouse in the woods, not too far away from our little town but not near it either. She took me to an orchidary, and I told her how I had been feeling about her ever since we got to know each other, and she told me she felt it too. We kissed, and from that point, we were the happiest couple in the entire earth.
We traveled together, read each other's favorite books, watched countless movies together and were pretty much inseparable. When October came, and with it, Halloween, she told me a secret very few had known.
She showed me some books that were hidden behind the "How to train your dragon" collection in her bookshelf. They were "The complete guide to modern witchcraft" and "the wiccan book of the lone witch". Yes. She was a practicing wiccan witch.
I didn't think much of it, I had been religious long before meeting her but was disillusioned with the Catholic Church and though I still believed in God, I no longer believed in sin and thought he could manifest himself in many ways, this girl's religion being one of them.
She suggested we made a wiccan marriage, saying it wasn't like a traditional marriage and could be broken at any time should we no longer love each other. I agreed, made some research, and the next day we tied our ring fingers with a rope, made a pact to each other and the Goddess to "love while our love was true", and jumped a broom, sealing our marriage with a kiss.
The next few months were the happiest of my entire life. We had many adventures together and were always there for each other. I showed her all my special places, spots that I went to whenever the world felt like too much, and introduced her to all my friends though there weren't many of them.
She made amends with friends that had hurt her in the past and got closer to them. I never trusted those people, especially since they made her cry the day we were introduced, belittling her for really no reason, saying "no one liked her".
Not long after I had to move out for med school. Our town isn't far from the capital, where I live, so we could still see each other pretty much every other weekend.
I'd call her everyday and we would tell each other how our days had been. It was fine for a long time, but she started working as an english teacher and I started falling behind in college and had to study harder, so there wasn't much time for each other. I started feeling we were going apart and did everything I could to avoid that. She didn't seem to care as much and even when I went back home she wouldn't put any effort to be with me, saying she was tired most times.
I tried. I told her what was bothering me and she always promised she'd be better, but as time went on she started caring less and less, about us and about me. The last straw was when I went to our town for a holiday, met her, her father tested positive covid and the following day we both started showing symptoms. I asked my parents to get me tested, but they said my symptoms didn't seem like covid and she should be tested first. I needed to know because I had to attend class for a test the following week, but, if I had covid, I'd rather stay isolated with my family at home than alone in my apartment.
I told her that and she said she had already booked her test. Things were mostly alright for a while, though we couldn't see each other cause her family was isolated, but when the day of her test came, she said she didn't do it cause "she didn't want to be stung". She knew how important it was for me and how I'd be feeling about us lately, and still chose to ignore it.
I said I needed some time to think everything through and we didn't talk through the week. I visited her before I got back, we made up, but later broke up for good while I was still away.
We agreed to stay friends, but the one time I tried to talk to her she said some very cruel things and blocked me. I've recently learned she's with some other guy from her class, a boy with severe social problems from what I've gathered, and haven't seen her since.
I miss her everyday. She was the best and the worst thing that ever happened to me. I loved her with all my heart, in a way that I had never loved before, and did everything for her, but that feeling of unimportance and neglect always bothered me. She was also cruel when things didn't go her way, and unleashed all that cruelty the moment I sought her without us being together.
I've had a few flings here and there after all that, but nothing as intense as I had with her. She was my one true love, and I fear I won't ever feel it again. That's why I'm listening to this song, reminiscing and writing this at 1am in a college day, for anyone with time to read the tale of the time I was in love with a witch.
A maiden with hawks claws in her ain't cooperating with no knight. You did an amazing job!! 🎵💞 played with heart and got all the best parts like "there's" at the end. Chills!
I've always had a bit of a problem with the knight's attempt to force the witch to heal him. As he discovered, she was more than willing without the dog and hawk going after her.
Wonderful cover. This is one of my favourite songs and you certainly did it justice!
Well this is handily in my top 5 favorite renditions of this song. The banjo suites it really well - thanks for performing this, you did a fantastic job!
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
I'm old enough to remember the sense of horror I felt one night when I saw on the nightly news that "...a Candian folk singer named Stan Rogers was among the casualties in the airplane fire." I was very very very young but a lover of folk music and especially WFMT's Midnight Special. I was so devastated. Why Stan? He was so talented and creative...
It was a great loss to folk music- but he's legacy lives on.
Nothing is ever perfect, but I think you totally nailed this. You manage to capture what I think is the most special quality of Stan's verion, which is the storytelling. I really appreciated the way you built towards and delivered each climax.Thank you for four minutes of great fun!
Thank you so much for your comment!! I am so glad you enjoyed my version! Thanks for watching!
If I was walking by on a gritty, bitter old city street and heard this, I would turn back and listen
I just started listening to Stan Rogers recently and I came across this cover. This is so good! Your voice is flawless, the banjo brings so much vibrance to the song, and that smile at the end is worth a million dollars. Well done!
Thank you, Samuel, I’m so glad you enjoyed my cover!
As a long-time Stan-fan you are 100% correct.
I've listened to this version so many times. Would you ever be willing to post the tabs? I'm trying to teach myself banjo and I would love to learn this song.
Excellent cover. Your voice is something else... Suited so well to folk music. Keep making music, you are amazing!
Thank you for watching, Andrew, and thank you for the lovely comment!
Love your voice and the ease the note flow out of your banjo.
very nicely done Mary
as another clawhammer player, i cannot tell ya how much joy I got in your playing. (and thaaaank you for keeping the fingerboard in frame! you're my hero!)
Thank you so much, and thank you for watching! :)
I have been singing and listening to Stan Rogers music for years. I really admire your rendition of this song. Thanks so much for the pleasure of listening to your version of the song.
Thank you so much!! I’m delighted you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ amazing
Wow, I would not have called 5-string banjo as such a good fit for this song. Great stuff!
Thank you!
Any chance of tabs or a tutorial video??? Great job on the cover!
I’ve been itching to hear a banjo cover of this! Well done!
Wonderful
Lovely!
Great cover! The banjo fits the piece quite nicely. I just discovered Stan's music about a month ago, and what an exciting month it has been musically, between listening to his own renditions and the many that have been inspired by him. I'm not talented musically, but have been faintly considering attempting a growly metal-vocal cover of Barrett's Privateers, and covers like this make me ache to try. Thank you!
Great work!
Well done.
Beautiful voice! Thank you. Archie would be proud.
Well done indeed! This is probably my favorite song, and it's always fun to see new covers.
An excellent cover of this wonderful old Archie Fisher song.... Bravo!
Oh my God this is so good!!!! My favorite song, brought tears to my eyes.
Holy Hell! Great job! This is an amazing cover!
Thank you!!
Fair play to you! That’s a hard one to do. I might try it myself next, you’ve inspired me!
hiiiiiigh ooooverhead
Just like Stan sang it 😁
Well done!
Wonderful rendition
I love this cover and keep coming back to it. Thank you!
Hi Ella, thank you!! It makes me so happy that you enjoy my version so much! Thanks for watching! 😊
My new favorite version of this.
wonderful
Great cover, well done
Well, it's actually very well done, young lady. And thank you, kindly.
One of my favorites. Very nicely done!
Bravo !!!!
Great cover. Killed it
Thank you!
BEAUTIFUL ...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gorgeous!!!
Bravo!
Fantastic darlin', I love it!
This is great!
Thank you for sharing your voice with us. Felt this one deep in my soul
I'm so glad, Paige! Thank you!
Beautiful work!! ❤
Such a tricky song to sing, I loved your version of it. And the banjo playing... so cool!
Thanks, Colin!
Awesome cover of one of my favourite folk songs! Wonderful story brought to life in a lovely fashion :)
Thank you, Rob! It’s one of my favorites, too. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
@@MaryWinterroth Thank you for sharing! If you enjoy the song, I highly recommend Kate Rusby's rendition too. It's a bit more ethereal than Stan's version but still great! :)
Holy crap this is such a great cover! I'm can't sing like you, but I'm going to try to learn the banjo tune!
amazing!
I am stunned how good thia rendition is! I Iove this song, can see so many of Stan's images in my mind when I hear it! Great lovely cover! Be Well!
Thanks, HighColorado! Stan is a tough act to follow, so I am so glad you enjoyed my cover!!
Beautiful! Tears
Thank you, Jenny, so glad you liked it!
Beautifully done!
You really do such a wonderful job with your Stan covers! 👏👏👏
Thank you so much!! I'm glad you're enjoying them!
Beautiful! I love the melodic choices you made. As soon as I heard this song I wondered what a banjo setting of it would sound like, so I was very happy to find your channel.
Thank you so much, Nora!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Nice job !!
Beautifully done lass, keep it up
Thank you!
This is so great and you make proper witchcraft at the end there!
Thank you, Alex!
amazing!! #celticmusic
All these comments echo exactly what I’m thinking. Very nice rendition of a favourite of mine.
I can't help but think if Stan Rogers had been born female he'd have sounded much as you do now -- you're that good, Mary. Never stop singing!!
That is a VERY high compliment, I’m very grateful. Thanks, Dean!
It is impressive to me that you are able to effectively sing the songs in your unique voice without feeling obliged to mimic Stan Rogers. Most people who cover other artists fall into this this trap.
Thank you!
Nice
Awesome!...I would love to hear you record this with improved recording equipment.
If ever you want to come play down in Lake Charles Louisiana at McFarlane 's Celtic Pub, not only will you have a warm reception but I'll foot your transit ma'am.
Beautiful! What tuning?
When you comin out with an album? I'm serious.
An album would be fun! Sadly, at the moment, time just doesn’t allow for it. Thanks for listening though!
What a lovely rendition.
Heather Alexander sang the best version of this song before she "died". She had a supernatural ability to differentiate its various characters. Ask Alexander James Adams.
This one does a good version of imitating Stan Rogers' tempo.
If I could wish for a good voice it would be for one likes Stan's I'll just have to keep making do with what I got. Well done.
You have a great drop thumb. Everything else is great too lol
This is a great cover! Are you playing in open G? I’ve playing for about a year and play this in drop C which makes playing that lead melody a lot easier since I still get tripped up a little.
Thanks, Alex! This is actually in double C tuning. G, C, G, C, D.
This is a fantastic cover and arrangement! What is your tuning?
Thanks, Allison! The tuning is gCGCD.
It sounds so familiar, but I don't think I've heard it before. Blame it on a misspent youth listening to steeleye span.
Moving version
Thank you!!
Used to live in Windermere for 10 yrs until I came home to Ireland this song means a lot to me so well done!
What a voice! Wicked skills. Slower next time so it lasts just a hair longer!
Thank you, Joel! Yes, I always play just a liiiittle too fast. I'm trying to work on that. :)
Tempo is a bit high but excellent job!
It’s true, I always play a bit too fast! Thank you for watching!
never draw any attention to musical mistakes u make, slight or larger - u barely even made a mistake but its in the description lol.
Great cover!