Swamp Witch
Black Water Hattie lived back in the swamp,
where strange green reptiles crawl.
Snakes hang thick from the cypress trees
like sausage on a smokehouse wall.
The swamp's alive with a thousand eyes,
and all of them watching you. You better
stay off the track to Hattie's shack
in the back of the Black Bayou.
On up the road from Hattie's shack,
lies a sleepy little Okeechobie town.
Talk of the swamp witch locks you in
when the sun goes down.
Rumors of what she'd done, and
rumors of what she'd do, kept folks off
the track to Hattie's shack
in the back of the Black Bayou.
Well, one day brought the rain,
and the rain stayed on,
and the swamp water overflowed.
Mosquitoes and the fever grabbed the town
like a fist. Doctor Jackson was the first to go.
Some said the plague was brought by Hattie,
There was talk of a hanging too,
but the talk got shackled by the
howls and cackles that came from the
Black Bayou.
Early one morning between dark and dawn,
when shadows filled the sky,
there came an unseen caller to a town
where hope ran dry.
In the town square, there was found
a big black round vat full of gurgling brew.
Whispering sounds as the folk gathered round,
"It came from the Black Bayou."
There ain't much pride when you're
trapped inside a slowly sinking ship.
Scooped up the liquid deep and green,
and the whole town took a sip.
Well the fever went away and the very next day
the skies again were blue.
Let's thank old Hattie for saving our town,
We can fetch her from the Black Bayou.
Party of ten of the town's best men
headed for Hattie's Shack.
They said, "Swamp Witch magic was useful and good,
And we're gonna bring Hattie back."
They never found Hattie and
they never found the shack and
they never made the trip back in.
There was a parchment note
that was found tacked to a stump
that said, "Don't come looking again."
By: Jim Stafford
I know that this is an old song that was recorded years ago, but I refer to it as a story because of this: My father recited this song to me so many times during my childhood, that I memorized every word of it without ever hearing the song.
Dad didn't have a radio in his car, so to pass along the time, he would recite to me old song lyrics that he learned. He never would actually sing, so to me it was like hearing stories from a book. He taught me several songs, but Swamp Witch was my favorite.
I even believed for years that Swamp Witch Hattie lived in an old abandoned shack that was not far from our home. Dad had told me that was where she lived, of course. Those fond memories are what made me decide to place this story on my website.
Now, that I am a Mom, I have been retelling the Swamp Witch story to my daughter and her friends. I hope the tradition will carry on with her. One day she will have a child that she can pass the story on to.
