He has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, has starred in an Emmy Award-winning television show for children and has been featured regularly on The Learning Channel.
Polisar works with literacy groups, media specialists, reading teachers and Title I programs in the schools and has won a Special Library Recognition Award for his "ability to communicate with and excite children to read."
Polisar's song "All I Want Is You" is featured, re-recorded and with a guitar/harmonica combo, on the soundtrack for the 2007 Motion Picture "JUNO".
The Witch
Barry Louis Polisar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a run-down old house that was falling to the ground
The children in the neighborhood would taunt her and laugh
They'd tease her all the time; said she never took a bath
They said her house was haunted, they'd scream and yell and jeer
They'd throw things in her yard, they'd point at her and sneer
They said she was a witch and they made fun of her clothes
After years of being taunted, she could finally take no more
She offered each an apple that was poisoned to the core
She grabbed them by the hair while their posioned bellies ached
Then threw them in her oven and cooked them into cakes
She'd put them in her kettle, she baked some into pies;
She'd puree them, souflle them, muffling their cries.
Now theres a lesson or two that I think can be had
'bout what makes some good and makes others bad
If you shut people out or push them away
Don't be surprised to find one day
That all your friends are gone and you're in a stew
And those that you've shut out are devouring you
The lyrics of Barry Louis Polisar's song "The Witch" tell the story of a lonely woman who lives in a rundown old house just outside of a town. The children in the neighborhood taunt her and make fun of her appearance, calling her a witch and throwing things in her yard. After years of being bullied and ostracized by the community, the woman can take no more and poisons the children with apples, which she then bakes into cakes and pies.
The song offers a cautionary tale about how the way we treat others can have unexpected consequences. By excluding and mocking the woman, the children in the story unwittingly drive her to do something terrible. The lyrics suggest that if we push people away or treat them poorly, we may find ourselves isolated and vulnerable when we most need help.
Overall, "The Witch" is a dark and haunting song that speaks to the ways in which fear and prejudice can lead to tragedy. Its poetic and evocative lyrics offer a poignant reminder of the power of empathy and compassion.
Line by Line Meaning
A woman lived alone, not far from a town
There was a woman who lived by herself, not too far from a town.
In a run-down old house that was falling to the ground
She lived in an old, broken-down house that was close to collapsing.
The children in the neighborhood would taunt her and laugh
The kids who lived nearby would tease her and laugh at her.
They'd tease her all the time; said she never took a bath
The kids would make fun of her constantly and say she never bathed.
They said her house was haunted, they'd scream and yell and jeer
The children claimed her house was haunted, and would yell and scream insults at her.
They'd throw things in her yard, they'd point at her and sneer
They would throw objects into her yard and point at her while making fun of her.
They said she was a witch and they made fun of her clothes
They would call her a witch and mock her clothing.
They'd laugh at the warts that were growing on her nose
They would make fun of the warts on her nose and laugh about it.
After years of being taunted, she could finally take no more
After years of dealing with the constant teasing, she reached a breaking point.
She offered each an apple that was poisoned to the core
She gave each child an apple that was deadly poisoned on the inside.
She grabbed them by the hair while their posioned bellies ached
She grabbed the children by their hair while they were writhing in pain from the poisoned apples they had eaten.
Then threw them in her oven and cooked them into cakes
She then threw them into her oven and baked them into cakes.
She'd put them in her kettle, she baked some into pies;
In addition to cakes, she also put some of the poisoned children into her kettle to boil, and baked some into pies.
She'd puree them, souflle them, muffling their cries.
She blended some into puree and made souffles, which muffled their screams and cries for help.
Now theres a lesson or two that I think can be had
There are a couple of lessons to be learned from this story.
'bout what makes some good and makes others bad
It's about what makes some people good while others are bad.
If you shut people out or push them away
If you avoid or push people away,
Don't be surprised to find one day
You shouldn't be surprised if one day,
That all your friends are gone and you're in a stew
You end up with no friends or support and in a terrible situation.
And those that you've shut out are devouring you
The people you avoided or pushed away may end up causing harm to you because of it.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.