She was born to British parents in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, while her father was a visiting professor at MIT, but she grew up in Scotland. She thus holds dual US/UK citizenship.
Pidgeon attended drama college and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. After some promising work as an actress in the UK, she moved to the United States. She had met American writer/director David Mamet while acting in his play Speed the Plow during its run at The National Theater in London. She subsequently became his wife in 1991. She and Mamet have two children, Clara and Noah.
From 1986 to 1990 she was the lead singer of the British folk/pop band Ruby Blue. Pidgeon left Ruby Blue, shortly after the band had signed a major record label and was beginning to gather both commercial and critical success. She decided to concentrate on her acting career, starring in Mamet's plays and films, initially in the movie Homicide, then in the play Oleanna, a part written for her.
Returning to music in 1994, she released the solo album The Raven, followed by New York Girls' Club. A further album, The Four Marys, a collection of traditional Celtic folk songs, followed in 1998.
In October 2005 she released Tough on Crime, which featured the late Billy Preston on keyboards.
Pidgeon is a convert to Judaism.
Growing up in Edinburgh, Rebecca was a teenage friend of singer Shirley Manson.
The Witch
Rebecca Pidgeon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Used to live in this house
Traveling havoc both north and south
Old witch living
In a post and beam house
And now I'm making it mine
Spirits in the rafters
And what if the banshee is alive and should
Come back to haunt me
With a gunpowder tin
I got a loaded revolver
And a rolling pin
Old road leads to not much of a place
Where a fresh young wife dare not show her face
New tracks in the snow
The buck and the doe
My only companions at forty below
There was an old witch
Used to live in this house
Traveling havoc both north and south
Old witch living
In a post and beam house
And now I'm making it mine
Old old house at the neck of the wood
In the pitch of the night where the tamarack stood
I hear of the witch used to live in the house
All the folks knew her for miles about
But now the house has come to my hands
The whistling wind and the whispering land
All mine for the taking
Come to my care
I look in the forest there are angels there
There was an old witch
Used to live in this house
Traveling havoc both north and south
Old witch living
In a post and beam house
And now I'm making it mine
The song "The Witch" by Rebecca Pidgeon is a haunting and mysterious tale about an old witch who used to live in a house. The lyrics describe the old house where the witch used to live, with spirits in the rafters and the creak of old wood. The singer of the song has now taken possession of the house and is making it their own. Despite this, there is a sense of unease and danger throughout the song, with references to a banshee and the need for the singer to have a loaded revolver and a rolling pin for protection.
The lyrics paint a picture of a remote and isolated place, with an old road leading to nowhere and the only companions being a buck and a doe. This setting adds to the sense of mystery and danger in the song. The references to the witch and the stories about her that have been passed down also add to the sense of unease and suggest that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Overall, the song "The Witch" is a chilling and atmospheric piece that captures the imagination and leaves listeners with a sense of unease and mystery.
Line by Line Meaning
There was an old witch
In the past, there was a witch that lived in this area
Used to live in this house
This particular witch used to live in the very house I'm living in now
Traveling havoc both north and south
This witch was notorious for causing trouble across a large area
Old witch living
This witch was old when she was alive
In a post and beam house
The house she lived in was made of post and beam construction
And now I'm making it mine
Now I am the owner of this witch's old house and I am taking ownership of it
Spirits in the rafters
There is a mysterious presence in the ceiling of this house
Creak of old wood
The sound of this old wood is eerie and unsettling
And what if the banshee is alive and should
What if the mythical creature known as the banshee is real and still exists
Come back to haunt me
What if this banshee decides to torment and terrorize me
With a gunpowder tin
The banshee might be armed with an explosive substance
I got a loaded revolver
To protect myself, I have obtained a gun that is ready to be fired
And a rolling pin
And as a last resort, I have a simple kitchen tool as a backup weapon
Old road leads to not much of a place
This old path doesn't lead anywhere exciting or interesting
Where a fresh young wife dare not show her face
This area is not safe for young women to travel through alone
New tracks in the snow
There are fresh marks in the snow ahead of me
The buck and the doe
There are two deer nearby
My only companions at forty below
In this harsh and cold environment, these animals are the only living beings around me
Old old house at the neck of the wood
This is an ancient house in the middle of the forest
In the pitch of the night where the tamarack stood
In the darkness of night, I can see a large tamarack tree nearby
I hear of the witch used to live in the house
There are rumors and stories about the witch who once lived in this very house
All the folks knew her for miles about
The people who lived here in the past knew of this witch's reputation and her actions
But now the house has come to my hands
Despite the past ownership of this house, I now am the one who possesses it
The whistling wind and the whispering land
The environment around this house is eerily quiet and haunting
All mine for the taking
This house is now completely mine
Come to my care
It is now my responsibility to take care of this property
I look in the forest there are angels there
Despite the spooky atmosphere, I can sense an otherworldly presence like angels in the nearby forest.
Contributed by Daniel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.