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Various chants and songs are heard in the 1998 TV series, The New Worst Witch and 2017 TV Series and two, The school song (Onward Ever Striving Onward) and Eye of Toad, appear in the books.

In the 2017 TV series, Chants are magical, and can conjure effects like sparks of colour, thunderstorms and live bats. Madam Vespertillio’s record causes listeners to levitate, and Miss Pippa Pentangle can sing in harmony with herself. Chanting is said to be a witches' activity and that wizards don't normally chant. A witch who is skilled at chanting is called a Chantsmith.

Betsy Evershine was the inventor of chanting. Betsy found learning spells tricky, so she started to chant the words to help her remember. It worked very well, so her sisters started joining in, and they noticed strange things starting to happen. Levitations went higher, transformations lasted longer, fires burned brighter. The chanting acted like a magnifier, making the magic bigger and better.[1]

Below is a list of chants and songs with lyrics.

Onward Ever Striving Onward (School Song)[]

The school song, used in opening and credits in the 1998 TV series, and sung in various episodes. It also appears in the books, the 1986 film, The New Worst Witch, and the 2017 TV series.

1998 TV Series[]

"Onward, ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly,
Straight and true above the treetops, shadows on the moonlit sky.

Ne´er a day will pass before us when we have not tried our best,
Kept our cauldrons bubbling nicely, cast our spells with zest.

Fearless witches, never flinching through the dark and dismal nights,
Ghouls and ghosts and nightmare monsters run away in fright.

We are the girls with skills in sorcery, when in flight, quite a sight to see!
We´re young witches and we're glad to be learning our craft at Cackle´s Academy."

Books and 2017 TV series[]

"Onward, ever striving onward, proudly on our brooms we fly,
Straight and true above the treetops, shadows on the moonlit sky.

Ne´er a day will pass before us when we have not tried our best,
Kept our cauldrons bubbling nicely, cast our spells and charms with zest.

Full of joy we mix our potions, working by each other´s side.
When our days at school are over, let us think of them with pride."

Indigo Moon and Joy Hardbroom's Version[]

Indigo Moon and Joy Hardbroom made this version up as girls:

"Onward, ever skiving onward, proudly in our rooms we lie,
Zoom like rockets through the tree tops, breaking rules as we whizz by.

Never a teacher goes before us, Who we will not blank our best,
Keep our cauldrons smelling awful, Cast our spells with cheek and jest.

Full of yawns we mix our potions, add whatever we decide,
When we turn Miss to a froggy, let us think of it with pride."

See Cackle's Academy

Walker's Gate[]

The Traditional chant to welcome the first years. Heard in The Battle of the Broomsticks and Old Hats and New Brooms.

Walker's Gate, Walker's Gate,
Bite your nose off if you're late,
Mummy won't come,
When you cry,
Time you witches learn to fly!

Expelled Walker’s Gate[]

It is also heard in the tenth episode of The New Worst Witch in series 2. The walkers gate chant is used but different when a student is expelled from the school as seen in Hettie's Final Warning and is changed by all students,

Punky Night[]

Heard in A Mean Halloween and Double, Double, Toil and TroubleFenella and Griselda wrote it for the Halloween celebration.

Moonlight, Starlight,
The bogies will be out tonight
Give us a candle, give us a light,
If you don't you'll get a fright!
It's punky night tonight!
Time to meet for trick or treat,
It's punky night tonight!
Punky night, punky night,
Punky night tonight!

Witches of Cackle's[]

Heard in Monkey Business.

Witches of Cackle's
High up in the storey sky
Trusting each other
Firm companions
[vocalising]

(new chant Miss Bat had just written)
Divided we fold
But united we rise!
[vocalising]

Eye of Toad[]

Heard in Monkey Business, it is also heard in The New Worst Witch.

Eye of toad,
Ear of bat,
Leg of frog,
Tail of cat,
Drop them in, stir it up,
Pour it in a silver cup

Skin of snake,
Lizard's lung,
Bane of newt,
Dragon's tongue
Bring to boil, add some spice,
Cook it up and make it nice

Sting of wasp
Fur of dog
Foot of mouse
Tooth of hog
Sieve it slow, add some moth
Serve it up as witches broth

In the 2017 TV Series it is heard in New Girl and A New Dawn, with slightly different words:

Eye of toad, ear of bat
Tooth of wolf, tail of cat...
Fur of dog
Skin of worm, leg of frog
Drop them in, stir it up
Pour it in the silver cup.

Mother of Cackle's[]

Heard in Miss Cackle's Birthday Surprise. It was written by Miss Bat.

Mother of Cackle's
Faithful Amelia
You're our strength and guiding light
All our love and deeds reveal you're true to Cackle's day and night

The second verse is rather operatic and therefore hard to understand.

??ted Headmistress, fountain of knowledge
Queen of all that you survey 
We are the simple
'Tis you???? true
and to wish you a happy birthday

We're the Rocky Mountain Rangers[]

Heard in The Great Outdoors.

We're the Rocky Mountain rangers
We can face all kinds of dangers
Wind and rain and hail and snow
To the mountaintop we go
We don't fret and we don't fuss
'Cause nothing ever fazes us

Miss Bat's Summer's Eve Song[]

Heard in The Heat Is On.

She's a pretty [bird?], she sings as she flies
She brings us good tidings, she tells us no lies
She sucks the pretty flowers to keep our voice clear
And the more she sings cuckoo, cuckoo
The summer is near, oh dear

Welcoming Chant[]

Heard in Sweet Talking Guys.

We bid you welcome
We bid you welcome
To Cackle's Academy
Behold your Honour
We humbly offer
Our hospitality

In Carried Away, Mildred's class sing a different version when they wisit Rowan-Webb.

We bring you greetings
We bring you greetings
From Cackle's Academy
May fortune shower
Down on this hour
Of hospitality

The reason for the two different versions is most likely that the first one is for when guests come to Cackle's Academy, and the second one is for when Cackle's Academy are guests elsewhere.

PE Class Chant[]

Heard in Old Hats and New Brooms.

(Due to an unkind spell by Ethel and Drusilla)

We're all hopeless and we're glad to be
The worst witches in the academy
Lie in bed, that's our way
Eat sweets, laze about everyday

We Love To Go A-Wandering[]

Heard in The Genius of the Lamp.

We love to go a-wandering along the pastures green,
The rivers and the meadows and the pastures inbetween,
To gather up the flowers that grow in abundance there,
And weave them into fairy crowns to twine around our hair.

Flying Up[]

Heard in The Genius of the Lamp.

With the skylark up we soar
To the clouds above we fly
With our voices reaching higher
Up and up and up and up and up into the sky

The Queen is Dead[]

Heard in The Genius of the Lamp.

My duty has been done
The final battle has been won
I feel my senses fading fast,
Here on this field I bid my last
Take now this gold crown from my head,
Heralds blow your horns, the Queen is dead!
Heralds blow your horns, the Queen is dead!

'O Sole Mio (original version in neapolitan italian)[]

Heard in The Genius of the Lamp.

(lines sung: 1 2 4 4 instead of 1 2 3 4)

Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole,
n'aria serena doppo na tempesta!
(Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa)
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole.

Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole,
n'aria serena doppo na tempesta!
(Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa)
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole.

'O sole mio
sta 'nfronte a te

Funiculi Funicula[]

Heard in The Genius of the Lamp.

(just la la la la's)

Founder's Day Chant[]

Heard in Up in the Air.

We witches young and healthy
The shape of things to be
Look forward to the future
With great expectancy
And though our eyes are firmly set
On tomorrow's bright new day
Cackleians will not forget
The witch who paved our way

Our Mistress Cackle's senior
Great grandmother thrice removed
Of our much esteemed Amelia
You leave us humbly moved
The endowment that you left to us in perpetuity
Is a rock on which our hopes are built
Cackle's Academy

Cackle The Jackal[]

Mildred, Maud and Enid's song about her right after.

Many years ago there lived
A virtuous witch and pure
A lady of great courtesy
Most gentle and demure
But when at night the darkness fell
She dropped her wig and fan
And rode out with her guns and mask
To be a highwayman!

By day young Mistress Cackle
Did good works for charity
By night she was The Jackal
Giving gold as liberty
And though all this was long ago
Remember if you can
Our founder was no shrinking violet
But a highwayman!

Miss Bat's basketball chant[]

Heard in Fair is Foul and Fouls are Fair.

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're sublime,
In the basket every time,
C A C,
K L E,
Here it for the academy,
Cackle's, Cackle's

The version at the start of the match:

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're sublime,
We can get a basket anytime,
Oo, Ah,
Yeahyeahyeahyeah,
Yay Cackle's!

The version when Maud scores incorrectly:

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're sublime,
We'll score in any basket we can find,
Oo, Ah,
Yeahyeahyeahyeah,
Yay Cackle's!

The version at half time:

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're sublime,
We've made no baskets and now it's half time,
Oo, Ah,
Yeahyeahyeahyeah,
Yay Cackle's!

The version at Timeout:

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're sublime,
We're scoring baskets and we can still rhyme,
Oo, Ah,
Yeahyeahyeahyeah,
Yay Cackle's!

The Version at the end of the Match:

Cackle's,
Cackle's,
We're the winner,
We served you up and ate you for dinner,
Oo, Ah,
Yeahyeahyeahyeah,
Yay Cackle's!


Potion Memory Song (to the tune of 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary')[]

Heard in Green Fingers and Thumbs. It is used to remember how to make a potion to turn sour milk into whipped cream.

Start with henbane,
Add some tongue fern,
A single mustard seed,
Strands of wheatgrass,
A stinging nettle, and the leaves of silverweed,
Toadflax for some flavour, broadbean juice for fun,
And we can't forget the snot gobbles,
The potion is done
And we can't forget the snot gobbles,
The potion is done!

Spell Power[]

Heard in The Millennium Bug.

Version at the start of the Episode:

Nanana nananana
Nanana nananana
You can do it if you want,
You can do it if you try,
You can leap up on a broomstick
And blaze across the sky!

Spell power!
Nanana nananana (make your dreams come true!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (I'll show you what to do!)
Just forget your past mistakes
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (make your dreams come true!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (I'll show you what to do!)

Don't get turned into a frog,
Don't get caught on the hop,
Would you rather keep on gliding
Until you reach the top!

Spell power!
Nanana nananana (make your dreams come true!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (I'll show you what to do!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (make your dreams come true!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (I'll show you what to do!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana

Spell power!
Why not!
Make your dreams come true!
Spell power!
Come on!
I'll show you what to do!

Version they performed for Amanda Honeydew:

(their words to the tune of Spell Power)
So you want to buy our castle
But we really don't know why
It's so cold and old and crumbly
And it smells just like a sty
But it's ours!
And we like it just like that!
It's ours!
With its beetles, ghosts and bats
It's full of magic on the loose
It really isn't any use
Why don't you put your money
In a bank account, miss Honey,
It's ours!

Version at the end of the Episode:

Nanana nananana
Nanana nananana
You can do it if you want,
You can do it if you try,
You can leap up on a broomstick
And blaze across the sky!

Spell power!
Nanana nananana (make your dreams come true!)
Spell power!
Nanana nananana (I'll show you what to do!)

Don't get turned into a frog,
Don't get caught on the hop,
Would you rather keep on gliding
Until you reach the top!

Spell power
Nanana nananana
Spell power
Nanana nananana
Spell power
Nanana nananana

Ohhhhhhhh
Ohhhhhhhh
Ohhhhhhhh
Ohhhhhhhh
SPELL POWER!

Miss Cackle's practice of a song by the Sparrow sisters[]

Heard in The Millennium Bug.

The donkey and the cart
The spit, the poor, the pitch, the stolen market street
If only you'll stop arguing everytime you meet

We're Going Strong[]

Heard in Secret Society.

Times are running fast
nothing stays the same
No looking back
life's changing game
Put the past behind
The road ahead is long
Moving on and up
We're going strong, strong, strong, yeah

Play out a plan
Aim for the sky
Set yourself a goal
Let your hopes be high
Don't be feeling bad
Face the world head on
Make the future ours
We're going strong, strong, strong, yeah

Rock 'n Roll Magic[]

Heard in The Hair Witch Project.

Stir the pot
Mix the brew,
I'm a witch and so are you
We've got the rock and roll magic
We've got the rock and roll magic
We've got the rock and roll magic
And the rock and roll magic chant!

Cast a spell,
Fly a broom,
Spread that magic all over the room
We've got the rock and roll magic
We've got the rock and roll magic
We've got the rock and roll magic
And the rock and roll magic chant!

We've got the rock and roll magic
And the rock and roll magic chant!

Witch Investiture Chant[]

Heard in Power Drill.

Rejoice, a magic spell is cast
Behold, a wonderous witch
A transformation comes to pass
Mere mortal turns to witch

Farewell, the feeble strength of flesh
Orwell, the power to charm
Be wise, be sure your skills are meshed
With good and not with harm

Nature's Beauty[]

Heard in The Lost Chord.

Holy evergreen holly with its bright red berry
And the oak with its acorn shell
All the birds of the forest in the dawn with the chorus
Listen, can you hear the church bell
The (dove?) sings cuckoo, cuckoo
The owl in the barn cries twit-oo, twit-oo
And the cuckoo on its nest cries-

I Want You For My Own[]

Heard in The Lost Chord. Written by Miss Crotchet.

I swear I'll never go
So take your head my darling
I want you for my own
Yes turn your head my darling
I want you for my own

Oh my love, my brighter love,
I swear I'll never go
So turn your head, my darling,
I want you for my own
Yes turn your head, my darling,
I want you for my own

Fairground Song[]

Heard in The Unfairground

There they are all standing in a row (bum bum bum)

Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head

Give them a twist, a flick of the wrist that's what the showman said (ahh!)

Winter's song[]

Heard in Cinderella in Boots.

In his mistrust? she throwed
Where the snow lay dinted
It was in the very sole(?) where granny Cackle had??
Before chanting, witches be sure
?
He who now will help their ball
Find yourselves rejoicing

????

Oh Cinderella[]

Heard in Cinderella in Boots.

Oh Cinderella. At last you've got your fella
He's tall and handsome. Really groovy
Like a rock star in a movie!
Oh Cinderella. You've upset everyone
But your dainty little tootsie
Means you've found the perfect man.
Yes your dainty little tootsie
Means you've found the perfect man!

All Hallows Eve song[]

Heard in the New Worst Witch, in the episode Trick or Treat.

Just as summer sun is setting,
Golden glow about to leap,
Giving way to winter's darkness,
That's the night,
All hallows eve,
All hallows eve.

Nights of fire, nights of candles,
Spells enchanting set the scene,
Witches mark the world is turning, celebrate,
It's Halloween,
It's Halloween.

Hazelmass Song[]

Heard in The New Worst Witch.

dark of night and waxing moon
come to us a single pool
hear us sing our witches' song
and send us moonlight clear and strong

earth and water, wind and fire
one and all you must conspire
to banish bad for goodness sake
cos I need moonshine for my cake

weary travelers long ago
shared their bread and made a vow
that they will be forever friends
and so shall be until time ends

Esper Vespertilio's Chant[]

Heard in The Extraordinary Esper Vespertilio. It is one of Miss Bat's chants from her former career as chantsmith Esper Vespertillio. She conjures bats while performing the chant.

Tail of ox and beard of goat
Tooth of wolf and claw of stoat
Put them in a bubbling stew
And then the bats shall dance for you

Scatter petals from one black rose
Bring our dance now to a close

Oliver’s Chant[]

Heard in The Extraordinary Esper Vespertilio. Oliver conjures a thunderstorm with this chant.

Acorn husk and dust of coal
Sky turns grey, storm clouds roll
Day become as dark as night
Thunder roar and lightning strike!

Enid's Lullaby[]

Enid sings this to Maud in Miss Cackle's Birthday.

Lullaby, say goodnight, Go to bed now and take flight
Race the stars, grab the moon, Pleasant nights upon your broom

Miss Pentangle's Chant[]

Heard in A New Dawn. Miss Pentangle uses this chant to demonstrate how to conjure sparks of colour, and sings in harmony with herself.

To witching we bring, this chant that we sing
Moving along together, we're strong
So all of us here, have nothing to fear

We are Witches at Our Best[]

Heard in A New Dawn.

Flying east and flying west, We are witches at our best
Yes, we are young, But our chants can still be sung
As we fly up on high, Near and far, 'cross the sky
Searching for our frogs and toads...

Felicity's Chant[]

Felicity performs this chant in The Owl and the Pussycat.

Is this magic or am I crazy?
I think...
Wrapping between us a friendship chain
Feel it now, let it grow
A bond between us that will never go
Should you need me pull this thread
And I will follow wherever you tread.

Beatrice’s Owl summoning Chant[]

Beatrice performs this chant in The Owl and the Pussycat.

More than a bird, although it flies
This great owl is incredibly wise
Let it appear, let it draw near
You and your friends have nothing to fear.

Beatrice’s Owl vanishing Chant[]

Beatrice performs this chant in The Owl and the Pussycat.

Owls are fine and owls are fair
But only if you want them there
Now then shall I boil or bake
I can make a wondrous cake
Stir it round with all my might
Twice to the left and once to the right
Heat the brew with ice and flame
Back you go from whence you came.

Madam Vespertilio's Wedding Chant[]

This Esper Vespertillio chant was performed at Miss Bat and Mr Rowan-Webb's wedding in Ethel Hallow to the Rescue.

..To the wolves and choristers
Mix them in a bowling shoe
By a bunch of us for you
To dance for you
To dance for you
Ah, ah
Tail of fox and bit of goat
To the wolves and choristers
Mix a little...

Notes and references[]

  1. 'Ethel's Hallowed Hall' on the CBBC website-[[1]]
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