Ballad of the weird sisters

Outside the city walls
Where the darkest thickets grow
Returning home from foreign lands
We dreamt of our near homes
When at once we heard a-hissing
- was it a devil or a snake?
Had we heard the sounds of laughter
That dangerous women make?

Three hags our way stood staring
They beckoned us their way
We followed them along a hidden path
Towards their dwelling place
Inside a fire was burning
And a table had been laid
They offered us a strange brew
With a devil of a taste

My friend and I we had great thirst
We drank our cups bone dry
But stranger yet was the drink's effect
"It's witchery!" I cried
Eye of newt and mandrake root
The devil's foot in brine
A fever-dream took hold of me
Souls danced before my eyes

My treachery, my wicked lusts
The many stolen wives
The souls of those whom I had wronged
Shared tales of my past crimes
Indeed, I was not all alone
To hear their strangled cries
My fellow and these sisters
Through this my guild surmised

And lo, I saw what must be done
For the gallows called my name
I'd cut its tongue under a demon sun
Yea, in good health I'd remain
In a flash I drew my dagger
And my fellow screamed with pain
Then I turned upon the sisters
To them I did the same

At once the room it filled with blood
And the horror of their cries
This night a murder banquet
A feast of ruined lives
Possessed were they with fortune's gift
And yet they were surprised
Three sisters should have better known
Than to let this devil inside