My great friend and dyed in the wool Geordie, George Henderson has this song as one of his favourites among 170 or so songs he sings. He's delighted to pass it on. Enjoy.

Lambton Worm

One Sundays morn yung Lambton went a fishin' in the Wear,
He catched a fish upon his hyuk he thowt lucked varry queor,
Noo whatna kind o' fish it wse yung Lanbton good na tell,
He wes na fash to carry it yem, so he hoyed it doon the well.

Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aall an arful story,
Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aboot the worm.

Well Lambton felt inclined te gan an' fight in foreign wars,
He joined a troop o' lads htat cared for neither woonds nor scars,
An' off he went te Palestine where queor things him befell,
An' varry soon forgot aboot the queor worm doon the well.

Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aall an arful story,
Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aboot the worm.

This aaful worm it growed an growed it growed am aaful size,
It had a greet big heed and greet big teeth and greet big goggly eyes.
An' when at neet he craalled aboot te pick up bits o' news,
If it fell dry upon the road it milked a dozen coos.

Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aall an arful story,
Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aboot the worm.

This aaful worm it craalled aboot an' eat up lambs an' sheep.
It swalleed little bairns alive as they lay doon te sleep,
An' when that he had had enough an' eat aboot his fill,
He'd craal away an' lap his tail, ten times roond Penshar hill.

Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aall an arful story,
Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aboot the worm.

Well news o' this most aaful beast an' his queor gannin's on,
Soon crossed the seas an' reached the ears o' brave an' bould Sor John,
So yem he came an catched the beast an' cut it in twe halves,
An' that soon stopped it eatin' sheeps an' bairns an' lambs an' calves.

Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aall an arful story,
Wisht lads haad yer gobs, aa'll tell yis aboot the worm.

So noo ye knaa how aall the folks on both sides o' the Wear,
Lost lots o' sleep an' lots o' sheep an' lived in mortal fear,
So lets have one te bould Sor John. we saved the bairns from harm,
Saved lambs and calves by mekkin' halves o' the famous Lambton worm.

Noo lads aa'll haad me gob that's aall Aa knaa aboot the story,
Of Sor Johns clivvor job wi' the famous Lambton worm.^^^

Geordie Traditional / Learned from the singing of Brian Childs.

Frank McGrath & George Henderson
Nenagh Singers Circle

(PS. Louis Killen, if you are out there somewhere, George sends his very best regards.)

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Different from what's in the Digital Tradition, but this version wasn't added to the DT.
-Joe Offer-