Burning Times - Christy Moore

In the cool of the evening, they used to gather

Neath the stars in the meadow circling an old oak tree

At the times appointed… by the seasons…

Of the earth and the phases of the moon

In the center stood a woman

Equal with the others and respected for her worth

One of the many we call the witches

The healers and the teachers of the wisdom of the earth

And the people grew through the knowledge she gave them

Herbs to heal their bodies, spells to make their spirits whole

Can’t ya hear them chanting healing incantations

Calling forth the wise ones, celebrating in dance and song…

… Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali… Inanna…

There were those who came to power through domination

And they bonded in the worship of a dead man on a cross

They sought control of the common people

By demanding allegiance to the church of Rome

And the Pope declared an inquisition

It was war against the women, whose powers they feared

In this holocaust against The Nature People

Nine million European women died

And the tale is told of those who by the hundreds

Holding together, chose their death in the sea

While chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess

A refusal of betrayal, women were dying to be free

… Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali… Inanna…

Now the earth is a witch and the men still burn her

Stripping her down with mining and the poisons of their wars

Still to us the earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother

A weaver of a web of light that keeps us all alive

She gives us the vision to see through the chaos

She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive