Oh, the wind and the rain: Samhuinn song book 2025
A list of source recordings to learn and sing the songs in this wee Samhain/Samhuinn song book I made! The songs are traditionals from Scotland, England, Ireland, and Appalachia/the diaspora of those older singing traditions that I have been introduced to in various ways. They are not necessarily songs that would traditionally be sung at Samhuinn, though some may be; rather, they have themes that I associate with this time of year including death, ancestors, and the otherworld.
Lyrics may vary from the versions I have included in the book. For some I have added links to multiple artists’ interpretations, some in older styles and some more modern or experimental. Please enjoy and sing with your people. If you’d like me to mail you a copy, venmo $5-15 per copy desired to @ellrieke, and leave your mailing address in the comment.
1) She Moved Through the Fair
2) Go Dig My Grave (cw for suicide/self harm)
3) King Orfeo
Malinky (Scots dialect version) - Anna & Elizabeth (with shadow puppet show by the artists)
4) Craobh nan Ubhal
James Ruff (basically the version I know) - Rena MacLean (different tune, older recording from Smithsonian Folkways)
5) Lowlands
6) Long Time Traveller
Frank Proffitt - Anna & Elizabeth - The Wailin’ Jennys
7) Nam bu leam fhìn thu
Christina Stewart - Miss Mary MacCaffer (field recording of an older version) - I hope to add my own recording at some point, as I couldn’t find one with the specific verses I was taught.
8) Pulling Bracken / Tha mi sgìth
Isla Cameron - Jim Ghedi & Cinder Well - Sìneag MacIntyre (as part of a page with a whole tutorial on the Gàidhlig version of the song!)
9) Who Killed Cock Robin?
10) Wind and Rain / The Twa Sisters
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - Dan Tate (similar but different tune than I sing) - Peggy Seeger (different version, “The Two Sisters”
11) The Wife of Usher’s Well
Jean Ritchie (close to the version I sing) - Peggy Seeger (different version of both tune and lyrics)
