Folk Songs About Halloween

Halloween (from All Hallows Eve) falls on October 31st. The evening before Halloween is Devil's Night, and the day after Halloween (Nov. 1) is the Day of the Dead. November 1st is also All Saint's Day and November 2nd is All Soul's Day.

Halloween is also the pagan Celtic new year holiday of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in" or "sow-een"). Samhain marks the end of the summer half of the year, the last harvest before the snows.

See also Devil.

[played and liked 2009]


[played and liked 2008]
Pierce Pettis \ Ghost Town \ While the Serpent Lies Sleeping \ Windham Hill
Bob Dylan \ Tombstone Blues
The Hayburners \ The Gold Digger's Wife \ The Hayburners \ Acoustic Stew
Pete Seeger & Bruce Springsteen \ Ghost Of Tom Joad \ Sowing the Seeds (VA) \ Appleseed
Captain Gravel \ Last Leaves Of Autumn \ Mountain Lair \ Self
John Lilly \ Haunted Honky Tonk \ Haunted Honky Tonk \ Self
Anne Hills \ When The Frost Is On The Punkin \ Ef You Don't Watch Out \ Collective Works
The Swingin' Marmalukeys \ Party In The Cemetery \ Cowboy Gypsy Party Music \ Self

[played and liked 2007]
Johnson, Miller & Dermody\ Witching Hour Blues\ Deceiving Blues\ Orb
Guy Davis\ Candy Man\ Stomp Down Rider\ Red House
Baby Gramps & his Back Swamp Potioners\ Goblin Fruit\ Baptized on Swamp Water\ Self
Loudon Wainwright III\ Graveyard\ Last Man on Earth\ Red House
Christopher Smith\ Pumpkintown\ Gravedigger's Boy\ Self (and title track)
Rebecca Riots\ Cemetary\ Gardener\ Appleseed
Hank Williams\ Howlin' At The Moon\ The Original Singles Collection\ Polydor
Cosy Sheridan\ The Underworld\ The Pomegranate Seed\ Wind River
Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen\ Friend of the Devil\ Epon.\ Rounder
White Ghost Shivers\ White Ghost Shivers Ball\ Hokum If You Got 'Em\ Self
John Lilly\ Pave My Grave\ Haunted Honky Tonk\ Self

[played and liked 2006]
Anna Coogan & North19\ The Holy Ghosts of Texas\ Glory\ Self
Austin Lounge Lizards\ Highway Cafe of the Damned\ Highway Cafe of the Damned\ Watermelon
Austin Lounge Lizards\ Hillbillies in a Haunted House\ Never an Adult Moment\ Sugar Hill
Carolyn Currie\ Ghosts\ Kiss of Ghosts\ North C
Cindy Mangsen\ The Griesly Bride\ Long Time Traveling\ Compass Rose
Cindy Mangsen\ The Haunted Hunter\ Songs of Experience\ Redwing
Crooked Still\ Ain't No Grave\ Shaken By A Low Sound\ Signature
Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer\ I Go Like the Raven\ Drum Hat Buddha\ Signature
Del Rey\ Devil Call Your Name\ Boogie Mysterioso\ Hobemian
Fourtold\ The Nine Little Goblins\ Fourtold\ Appleseed
Front Range\ The Lantern\ Ramblin' on My Mind\ Sugar Hill
Guy Clark\ The Dark\ The Dark\ Sugar Hill
Hank Cramer\ The Witch of the Westmorland\ Songs from Maurie's Porch\ Ferryboat
(original by Archie Fisher, covered by Stan Rogers, many others)
Heidi Muller & Bob Webb\ Ghost Stories\ Seeing Things\ Self
Herdman, Hills and Mangsen\ Away Ye Merry Lassies\ At the Turning of the Year\ Hand & Heart
(also done by Linda Waterfall)
Jean Redpath\ Hallowe'en\ Leaving the Land\ Rounder
John Prine\ Daddy's Little Pumpkin\ The Missing Years\ Oh Boy
Johnny Cash\ The Long Dark Veil\ Essential\ Columbia
June Tabor\ The Devil and Bailiff McGlynn\ Ashes and Diamonds\ Green Linnet
Mary McCaslin\ Ghost Riders in the Sky\ Things We Said Today\ Philo
Mustard's Retreat\ Mallon's Bridge\ Back to Back\ Red House
Mustard's Retreat\ Samhain Wish\ MR7\ Yellow Room
Ralph Stanley w/Gillian Welch\ Oh, Death\ Clinch Mountain Sweethearts\ Rebel
(or Ralph solo on the O Brother album)
Robert Johnson\ Hellhound on my Trail\ Martin Scorsese Presents\ Columbia
Sparky and Rhonda Rucker\ Midnight Thirst\ Midnight Memories\ Tremont
The Rarely Herd\ Simon Crutchfield's Grave\ Midnight Loneliness\ Pinecastle
The Wailin' Jennys\ The Devil's Paintbrush Road\ Firecracker\ Red House
Utah Phillips and Ani Difranco\ Joe Hill\ Fellow Workers\ Righteous Babe
Warren Zevon\ Werewolves of London\ I'll Sleep When I'm Dead\ Asylum

[from a playlist by Maggie Ferguson, 2008]
Must Be Halloween, Trout Fishing In America, Big Round World, Trout Records
Halloween, David Roth, Think Twice, Wind River
The Familiar, Cindy Mangsen, Cat Tales, Compass Rose
Come On Girls, Kitty Donohoe, The Yellow Room Gang, Yellow Room
Pumpkintown, Christopher Smith, Gravedigger's Boy, Small Time  
Away Ye Merry Lassies, Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, Cindy Mangsen, At The 
Turning of the Year, Hand & Heart
 Come Take A Ride On My Broom, David Massengill, Morgana's Sleepover and 
the Witch's Hand, self
Werewolf, Lauren Sheehan, Some Old Lonesome Day, self
The Vampire, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Best of the Vanguard Years, Vanguard
Nine LIttle Goblins, Anne Hills, Ef You Don't Watch Out, Collective Works
Ghost Stories, Heidi Muller & Bob Webb, Seeing Things, self
Hillbillies In A Haunted House, Austin Lounge Lizards, Never An Adult Moment, 
Sugar Hill           
The Spider in the Shed, Hilary James & Simon Mayor, Midsummer Market, 
Acoustic Records
John's Garden, Peter Mayer, Million Year Mind, Blue Boat
Harvest Moon, Chris & Meredith Thompson, Clearwater, self  
Ghosts, Danny Schmidt, Parables & Primes, Live Once
Mallon's Bridege, Mustard's Retreat, Back To Back, Red House
The English Ladye and the Knight, Loreena McKennitt, An Ancient Muse, 
Quinlan Road
Home to Jesse, Christopher Smith, Gravedigger's Boy, Small Time
Little Orphant Annie, Anne Hills, Ef You Don't Watch Out, Collective Works
Ghost, Matt Price, Serves You Right, Note Choice
The Dark, Peter Mayer, Million Year Mind, Blue Boat

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