D'Ampton Worm song - Lair of the White Worm

From the party scene in Ken Russell's "Lair of the White Worm". The movie borrows from the English folktale of the Lambton Worm. This version of the song was arranged and performed by Emilio Perez Machado and Stephen Powys.

Movie lyrics:
John D'Ampton went a-fishing once, a-fishing in the Wear,
He caught a fish upon his hook he thought looked mighty queer,
Now what the kind of fish it was John D'Ampton couldn't tell,
But he didn't like the look of it, so he threw it down a well.

Now the worm got fat and growed, and growed an awful size,
With great big teeth and a great big mouth and great big goggle eyes,
And when at night it crawled about all looking for some booze,
If it fell dry upon the road, it milked a dozen cows.

This fearful worm would often feed on cows and lamb and sheep,
And swallow little babes alive when they lay down to sleep,
So John set out and got the beast and cut it into halves,
And that soon stopped it eating babes and sheep and lambs and calves.

So now you know how all the folks on both sides of the Wear,
Lost lots of sheep and lots of sleep and lived in mortal fear,
So drink the health of brave Sir John, who kept the babes from harm,
Saved cows and calves by making halves of that famous D'Ampton Worm!

Traditional lyrics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambton_Worm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A882911#back26

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• D'Ampton
• song
• lair
• white
• worm
• folk
• rock
• music
• Ken
• Russell
• Emilio
• Perez
• Machado
• Stephen
• Powys
• county
• Durham
• Penshaw
• hill

[kokota9]

I love this song! Thank you so much! :))))) "dances"

[EdwardWeyland]

You're welcome.

[Darthwarlock69]

Hallo, dose anybody know were i could get the song an an mp3 or an albume of the band that sings this, I HAVE WANTED IT SINCS I SAW THE MOVIE in the US in Denver as a teen in High school, was into such music and tecno form of this typ before it was in. thank for posting this man it is grate to see that i am not the only freake for such music

[EdwardWeyland]

Sorry, I don't think the soundtrack was ever published for sale. You could lift the audio track from the video, I suppose...

[borndemented86]

I LOVE this song! Woo, took me forever to remember the name of the movie, lol. Thankyou soooo much!!

[EdwardWeyland]

You're very welcome. Pick up the DVD, it's worth seeing the whole thing again.

[pintsizedalchemist]

I wasn't calling them gay. Just its gay that they used different lyrics. I was actually calling them gay i would have went "they're gay" but i don't do that cause i'm gay myself, and i know what homophobia is like.

[nwrd]

The lyric, i was told as a child , was the River Wear, which is in Northumbria, UK, and the area from which the story originates.

[PeppiPepp]

My deejay was a very good artist, silvert!

[dinosaur626]

This was the only good scene in this entire movie

[YuichiTaira]

RIP KEN :(

[MrWoodyanders]

The gal on fiddle is totally shreddin' it

[Maestrojosh87]

RIP KEN RUSSELL.

[jmpa169]

True folk gem in blazing fiddles style

I remember seeing the film with a friend and laughing most of the way through at the over the top nature of it- but we did get up and dance at this bit- brings back happy memories. And- Kenny- if you're reading this in Oz- thanks

[BrightIdeaStudio]

@SidneyBroadshead No he meant Wear, as in the river Wear. The Lambton Worm on which this song was based is a local legend to Sunderland and Durham in North East England. Wiki the Lambton Worm and you may be enlightened.

[SidneyBroadshead]

@BrightIdeaStudio I think he meant "weir", a fence set up across part of a river to dam it or make a fish pond.

[Johnlindsey289]

Great vampire movie, i liked this since i was a kid. What if Edward Cullen met the snake vampiress?

[DevilJosh4ever]

Great song to drink and dance to. Would love to find this albulm.