From Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations by Alexander Carmichael (Edinburgh: Printed for the author, 1900):

CHARM OF THE CHURN

...The influence of an evil spirit commanded by an evil mind is believed to retard or wholly to prevent butter from coming upon the cream in the churn. This evil influence was used by one woman against another in order to spirit away the butter from her neighbour's churn to her own churn. This, however, could only be done if no stream ran between the two women. A fire for kindling carried across a stream, however small, loses its occult power and is ineffective in spiriting away milk, cream, butter, or other milk product.

The following story was told me in 1870 by Mor Macneill, cottar, Glen, Barra.

Sometimes the substance is spirited out of the milk, nothing being left but the semblance. On one occasion a household in Skye were at the peat-moss making peats, none remaining at home but the housewife and a tailor who was making clothes for the father and the sons of the house.

The housewife was up on the 'ben' churning, and the tailor was down in the 'butt' sewing. He sat on the meal-girnel, cross-legged, after the manner of tailors. Presently a neighbor woman came in and asked for a kindling for her fire. She took the kindling and went her way. When she went out, the tailor leaped down, and taking a live cinder from the fire, placed it in the water-stoup below the dresser, and with a bound was back again cross-legged on the meal-girnel sewing away as before. In a little while the woman came back saying that she failed to kindle her fire, and [the actions are repeated two more times.]

Towards evening the house-wife came down in sore distress, saying—'O Mary and Son, am I not the sorely shamed woman, churning away at that churn the livelong day till my spirit is broken and my arms are weary, and that I have utterly failed to bring butter on the churn after all! O Mary! Mary, fair Mother of grace! what shall I do when the people come home? I shall never hear the end of this churning till the day of my death!'

'Place thine hand in the water-stoup below the dresser and see if thy butter be there,' said the tailor. And with that the woman placed her hand in the water-stoup as directed, and three successive times, and each time brought up a large lump of butter as fresh and fair and fragrant as the beauteous butter-cups in their prime. The clever tailor had counteracted the machinations of the greedy neighbour woman by placing the live cinders in the water-stoup.

THIG na saor, thig;
Thig na daor, thig;
Thig na caor, thig;
Thig na maor, thig;
Thig na faor, thig;
Thig na baor, thig;
Thig na gaor, thig;
Thig na caoch, thig;
Thig na caon, thig;
Thig na caomh, thig;
Thig na gaol, thig;
Thig na claon, thig;
Thig fear a churraig bhuidhe,
Chuireas am muighe na ruith.

Thig na saora,
Thig na daora,
Thig na caora,
Thig na maora,
Thig na faora,
Thig na baora,
Thig na gaora,
Thig na caocha,
Thig na caona,
Thig na caomha,
Thig na gaola,
Thig na claona,
Thig loma lan na cruinne,
Chur a mhuighe na ruith;
Thig Calum caomh na uidheam,
'S thig Bride bhuidhe chruidh.

Tha glug a seo,
Tha glag a seo,
Tha glag a seo,
Tha glug a seo,
Tha slug a seo,
Tha slag a seo,
Tha slag a seo,
Tha slug a seo,
Tha seilcheag mhor bhog a seo,
Tha brigh gach te dhe'n chrodh a seo,
Tha rud is foir na mil us beoir, [fearr(?)
Tha bocan buidhe nodh a seo.

Tha rud is fearr na choir a seo,
Tha dorn an t-sagairt mhor a seo,
Tha rud is fearr na chairbh a seo,
Tha ceann an duine mhairbh a seo,
Tha rud is fearr na fion a seo,
Tha lan cuman Cairistine
Do mhiala boga bine seo,
Do mhiala boga bine seo.

Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a bhitheag; thig a bheathag;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuthag; thig, a cheathag;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig an fhosgag a adhar,
'S thig cailleag a chin-duibh.

Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Than an lon, thig an smeol,
'S thig an ceol as a bhruth;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chait chaothaich,
Chur faoch air do ruch;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig.

Thig, a mhaduidh, 's caisg do phathadh;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a bhuichd; thig, a nuichd;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a dhiola-deirce
Is deistiniche ruichd;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, gach creutair acrach,
Us dioil tart do chuirp.
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
'S e Dia duileach a chuir oirnn,
'S cha'n ora caillich le luibh.
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig a Mhuire mhin-ghil,
Us dilimich mo chuid;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a Bhride bhith-ghil,
Us coistrig brigh mo chruidh.

Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Am maistreadh rinn Moire.
Air astradh a ghlinne,
A lughdachadh a boinne,
A mheudachadh a h-ime;
Blathach gu dorn,
Im gu uileann;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig;
Thig, a chuinneag, thig.

COME will the free, come;
Come will the bond, come;
Come will the bells, come;
Come will the maers, come;
Come will the blade, come;
Come will the sharp, come;
Come will the hounds, come;
Come will the wild, come;
Come will the mild, come;
Come will the kind, come;
Come will the loving, come;
Come will the squint, come;
Come will he of the yellow cap,
That will set the churn a-running.

The free will come,
The bond will come,
The bells will come,
The maers will come,
The blades will come,
The sharp will come,
The hounds will come,
The wild will come,
The mild will come,
The kind will come,
The loving will come,
The devious will come,
The brim-full of the globe will come,
To set the churn a-running;
The kindly Columba will come in his array,
And the golden-haired Bride of the kine.

A splash is here,
A plash is here,
A plash is here,
A splash is here,
A crash is here,
A squash is here,
A squash is here,
A crash is here, [gulp
A big soft snail is here,
The sap of each of the cows is here,
A thing better than honey and spruce,
A bogle yellow and fresh is here.

A thing better than right is here,
The fist of the big priest his here,
A thing better than the carcase is here,
The head of the dead man is here,
A thing better than wine is here,
The full of the cog of Caristine
Of live thing soft and fair are here,
Of live thing soft and fair are here.

Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou life(?); come, thou breath(?);
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come thou cuckoo; come, thou jackdaw;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come will the little lark from the sky,
Come will the little carlin of the black-cap.

Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come will the merle, come will the mavis,
Come will the music from the bower;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou wild cat,
To ease thy throat;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come.

Come, thou hound, and quench thy thirst;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou poor; come, thou naked;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, ye alms-deserver
Of most distressful moan;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come each hungry creature,
And satisfy the thirst of thy body.
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
It is the God of the elements who bestowed on us,
And not the charm of a carlin with plant.
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou fair-white Mary,
And endow to me my means;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou beauteous Bride,
And bless the substance of my kine.

Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come;
The churning made of Mary,
In the fastness of the glen,
To decrease her milk,
To increase her butter;
Butter-milk to wrist,
Butter to elbow;
Come, thou churn, come;
Come, thou churn, come.