Magpie - The Unthanks

One’s for sorrow

Two’s for joy

Three’s for a girl and

Four’s for a boy

Five’s for silver

Six for gold

Seven’s for a secret never told

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Oh the magpie brings us tidings

Of news both fair and foul

She’s more cunning than the raven

More wise than any owl

For she brings us news of the harvest

Of the barley, wheat, and corn

And she knows when we’ll go to our graves

And how we shall be born

One’s for sorrow

Two’s for joy

Three’s for a girl and

Four’s for a boy

Five’s for silver

Six for gold

Seven’s for a secret never told

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

She brings us news when from the right

Grief when from the left

Of all the news that’s in the air

We know to trust her best

For she sees us at our labor

And she mocks us at our work

And she steals the eggs from out of the nest

And she can mob the hawk

One’s for sorrow

Two’s for joy

Three’s for a girl and

Four’s for a boy

Five’s for silver

Six for gold

Seven’s for a secret never told

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Devil, devil, I defy thee

Now, the priest he says we’re wicked

But to worship the devil’s bird

Ah but we respect the old ways

And we disregard his word

For we know they rest uneasy

As we slumber in the night

And we’ll always leave out a little bit of meat

For the bird that’s black and white

One’s for sorrow

Two’s for joy

Three’s for a girl and

Four’s for a boy

Five’s for silver

Six for gold

Seven’s for a secret never told