When a baby was sick or cranky, it was often thought that the human child had been abducted by fairies and one of their own was put in the cradle.  This song is about a changeling and the remedy his human mother took to get her human baby back.  
The lyrics are taken from a poem, "Romance of the Fairy Cure", written by James Clarence Mangan (1803-1849).

The Changeling Remedy

Nellie Phelan's child is ailing,
 Hour by hour, the babe is failing 
Squealing, kicking, biting, whining, 
To an *atomy is pining. 
Once he was a fine wee fel low, 
Now he's wrinkled, thin and yel low.
 Playful then he was and civil, 
Now he's cross-grained as the devil. 
Oh, her babe, her poor, poor baby. 

To a wise man Nell is walking,
 Long time they're in secret talking,
 First she heard all Nell's description, 
Then she wrote out a prescription. 
"Take this cure, although a strange one;
 It is needed when they change one; 
By it you'll the fairies bother, 
Get your child and choke the other.
 "You must make the fairy speak out,
 Ere your child from them you take out, 
If you follow what's been written, 
You shall find the biter bitten. 
Five hundred eggshells Nelly chooses;
 In a pot, the shells she *bruises;
 In spring water now they're boiling,
 Stirring round the pot she's toiling. 
Oh her babe, her poor poor baby.

Red hot now the poker's ready,
 While Nell stirs the pot so steady;
 From the child, in cradle lying, 
Nell now hears a strange voice crying, 
“Mammy, Mammy, What's that boiling? 
Why with pot stick are you toiling?" 
Nell, to drop with fright, was ready. 
Yet she answered cool and steady.
 Oh, her babe, her poor, poor baby.

 "Eggshells, deary, I am brewing.
 Cock's broth for my babe I'm stewing. 
When I skim off all the dripping, 
Then it will be fit for sipping, 
"Though five-hundred years I'm chewing,
 Eggshells never saw I brewing. 
Though five centuries I'm cheating, 
Ne'er have I seen cock's broth eaten."
Oh her babe, her poor, poor baby.

 Quick the poker Nellie seizes, 
To the cradle now she races.
 Red hot down its throat she crams it; 
With her might and main she rams it. 
Oh her babe, her poor, poor baby!

 Gone like lightning is the fairy;
 In its stead there lies her deary--- 
Her brave boy--- Her darling Terry!
 With his lip and cheek of cherry. 
Oh, her babe, her own sweet baby.

The Changeling Remedy

If I Were A Blackbird (Traditional Irish Folk Song)

If you are not trying very hard to be good, you may get only a rusty old halo in heaven.

A Rusty Old Halo

This album features traditional and new Christmas music in the style of folk music.  Several tracks are original songs written by Sue Whitehead.  All tracks are performed by Sue Whitehead.

Ain't That a-Rockin' All Night Long

The fourth track from Distant Havens. Patrick Dean wrote a new tune for the traditional lyrics of this song about someone from Sheffield leaving home and getting into trouble. 

If you pre-order Distant Havens on bandcamp you get a full download of this song straight away. https://thefoxglovetrio.bandcamp.com/album/distant-havens

The Sheffield Apprentice (sample)

Faithless Shepherd

This lovely traditional English folk song is a song about love with no bounds. I fell in love with it when I first heard it but felt it was too short and so added my own lyrics and some of my own music to it.

The lyrics I added are:

I will give my love a boat without any oars
I will give my love an ocean without any shores
I will give my love a song where e'er he may be
And he may then sing it as he sails home to me

My body is a boat without any oars
My passion is an ocean without any shores
My soul is my song where e'er he may be
And he may then sing it as he sails home to me

I Will GIve My Love An Apple - traditional English folk song

Rosin the Bow

From debut album Ground of Its Own, released June 2012.

Sam’s Mercury Award nominated 2012 debut album is a work several years in conception which brought together a multitude of experiences and influences for a musician who has cut an unique course in his artistic development. This 8-track release mixed by the legendary John Wood (of Nick Drake fame) comprises material gleaned from years of research and exploration into the forgotten songs and sounds of the British Isles.

The Ballad of George Collins

Taken from Sam Lee's debut album, Ground of Its Own. Released June 2012.

Sam’s Mercury Award nominated 2012 debut album is a work several years in conception which brought together a multitude of experiences and influences for a musician who has cut an unique course in his artistic development. This 8-track release mixed by the legendary John Wood (of Nick Drake fame) comprises material gleaned from years of research and exploration into the forgotten songs and sounds of the British Isles.

Goodbye My Darling

The Diggers' Song

This my journey into getting back into performing.  I am focusing on folk songs and especially old traditional ones.  
My tracks are available for purchase at https://oca2blue.bandcamp.com.  Come check out my album "For the Love Of Folk Music" there.

Since these tracks are works in progress in many cases, I often remove older versions and replace with newer versions.  If you heart a track, you may later find it is not showing your heart any longer when I have replaced it.   I try to keep all the songs on my playlist, Sue2BlueEyes Own, so you can always hear all the current versions on it.

I have 28 of these tracks available on ITunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play, Apple Music, and other venues.

The Changeling Remedy

Sue2BlueEyes

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