Behind the song
The woman who survived the gallows.
Inspired by the extraordinary story of Maggie Dickson, the Edinburgh woman executed in 1724 after being convicted of concealing a pregnancy. After she was hanged, her body was placed in a coffin for the journey home, only for signs of life to be discovered. Maggie survived and became known as Half-Hangit Maggie, her story passing into Edinburgh history and folklore.