Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Fly like a witch in the evening sky Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Men flee, men hide and children cry Oh the crow does sit on the shortest branch Of the oldest oak there be And she views her vast surroundings With an ominous sense of glee She’s more devious than the falcon She is wiser than the owl She has seen the greatest feats of men And has witnessed deeds most foul Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Fly like a witch in the evening sky Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Men flee, men hide and children cry Oh she softly glides to the earth below Cloaked in childish dreams of night And settles upon a pile of dead Neither sorrowful nor contrite For the dead, they were once children They were wards of a pious state Well now they lie here lifeless Victims of an imposed faith Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Fly like a witch in the evening sky Black as coal with the Devil’s eye Men flee, men hide and children cry Oh the sisters call her a wicked bird As they run and wave their arms But the crow respects the olden ways Of nature spells and forest charms She calls the children to her And to her they do come They leave the evils of men’s earth And fly towards the rising Sun