Two to bottom, two to head,
One to watch me whilst I pray,
One to bear my soul away.”
This is the usual form; but there are verbal variations. Sometimes it stands “four corners” instead of “four posties,” and “two at the feet, and two at the head.” After the first two lines that are invariable, we have—
“Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head,
One to read and one to write,
Two to guard my bed at night;”
or—
“One to watch and two to pray,