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Witchfinder General Lyrics
Send for the General, there's witches to burn
The day of your judgment draws nigh
In torment and torture, the bringer of pain
Disciples of Satan will die
And tell me your secrets, bring them to me
Give your confession - your soul will be free
No one is safe from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
Accusing the innocent, prey on the weak
It's not just their souls that you seek
Your friends will not help you, they stand back in fear
Hide when the General is near
Trial is by water; no one can win
Drowned and you're innocent, guilty you swim
The gallows are waiting, they're lighting the fire
There's no release from the monster's desire
Tell me your secrets, bring them to me
Give your confession, your soul will be free
There's no escape from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
(Confess, confess, confess!)
Send for the General, there's witches to burn
The day of their judgment draws nigh
In torment and torture, the bringer of pain
Disciples of Satan will die
And tell me your secrets, give them to me
Give your confession, your soul will be free
No one is safe from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
The day of your judgment draws nigh
In torment and torture, the bringer of pain
Disciples of Satan will die
Give your confession - your soul will be free
No one is safe from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
It's not just their souls that you seek
Your friends will not help you, they stand back in fear
Hide when the General is near
Drowned and you're innocent, guilty you swim
The gallows are waiting, they're lighting the fire
There's no release from the monster's desire
Give your confession, your soul will be free
There's no escape from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
The day of their judgment draws nigh
In torment and torture, the bringer of pain
Disciples of Satan will die
Give your confession, your soul will be free
No one is safe from the purging of fire
You'll rue the day that you.. send for the Witchfinder General!
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This song is about Matthew Hopkins, a self-appointed Witchfinder General between 1645 and 1647 who instigated a campaign of terror against defenseless women in the English countryside. It's been estimated that he was responsible, directly or otherwise, for as many as 200 executions.
Little is known about Hopkins's life, and although he was neither the first nor the last, his name has become synonymous with the discovery of witches, and the hysteria and wanton cruelty that swept across Europe in the 17th Century; It had even manifested itself briefly in the United States in the Salem case.
This song states the fact that the mere accusation of witchcraft was enough to condemn a woman to death: "Trial is by water; no one can win. Drown and you're innocent, guilty you swim."