Lyr Req: Big Jim

Subject: Big Jim was a worm.
From: poet
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 03:00 PM

Hi all. a freind of mine used to sing this song and I recently heard it on an LP but I can't find in the D/Base can anyone help..Chorus goes:-

Big Jim was a worm was a great big worm,
A great big beautiful bloody great worm,
large and fat and just like picture,
crossed with an eel and a Boa constrictor,
fed on whiskey which made him frisky,
Pies and a pint or two,
Big Jim was a worm was a great big worm,
A great big beautiful, bloody great worm,

I,d love to sing it cos it's fun.

Graham Hyett(Guernsey)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Bernard
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 06:56 PM

Got the words somewhere - it was originally written and performed by Fivepenny Piece (Eddie Crotty)
Maybe they've got a website - I believe they are still around!

A famous scottish angling club
Arranged to hold a match
And five pounds offered as first prize
To him with the best catch
(then my brain goes!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 11:11 PM

years ago a girl who has spent some time in Australia brought it to our open sing... my clever wife, Ferrara..(Rita) grabbed it...she is looking for it as we speak, amd 'may' type it in soon!

Subject: Lyr Add: BIG JIM^^
From: GUEST,Ferrara
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 11:18 PM

This is an Australian version. I took it down in shorthand as the lady sang it.

BIG JIM

CHORUS: Big Jim was a worm, was a great big worm,
Was a great big, bright red, bloody red worm
Large and fat, just like a picture,
Crossed with an eel and a boa constrictor

Fed him on whiskey, made him feel frisky,
Pies and a pint or two
Big Jim was a worm, was a great big worm,
Was a great big, beautiful, bloody red worm.

1. The Avon Valley Angling Club
arranged to hold a match
(With) five pounds offered as the prize
to him with the biggest catch.
Len Riley said, for catching fish,
good bait is what you need
And so he set to work at once
big worms to try to breed.

He fed his pets on powdered milk,
Baby food and whiskey,
And as the great day grew near,
they grew fat and frisky.
His favorite pet he called Big Jim,
He really was a picture,
He looked just like a conga eel
you'd crossed with a boa constrictor.

2. The day arrived, the places drawn,
and so the fishing started
It was a sin to puncture Jim
and Lee was broken hearted.
But that five pound note it must be won,
he'd promised to his daughter
And so the dirty deed was done
And Jim thrown in the water.

3. Some caught perch, some caught bream,
some caught rainbow trout.
Some caught eels, one caught seals,
most of them caught nowt.
But Len he waited patiently
to get a chance to work
When all at once his float did sink
and gave his rod a jerk.

Well that fight went on for hours and hours
Len couldn't quench his thirst
But Big Jim being the worm he was,
that fish surrendered first.
At once the judge came running up
and with him brought his scales,
He saw the fish, said, Throw it back --
We're not accepting whales!^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 11:23 PM

ain't technology wonderful?..It was on our old Win 3.1 PC...in DOS...Rita simply put in a floppy, saved Big Jim to it, transferred it to a file and pasted it in!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 11:35 PM

It was my understand the song was written in or near Perth, and the reference to the Avon Valley Angling Club was a Perth institution...true?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Llanfair
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 03:01 AM

It's "A famous Scottish Angling club"
I've got the book!!!!
Cheers, Bron.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: poet
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 02:44 PM

Thats great it really is thank you all very much.

Graham(Guernsey)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Ferrara
Date: 12 Oct 00 - 10:59 PM

Well, the song "Red River Valley" was originally entitled "Bright Mohawk Valley" or some such. I said I learned it from an Aussie. It was not a famous Scottish Angling club the way she sang it. It's called the Folk Processor. (You know what a food processor does to food, don't you?)

Subject: Lyr Add: BIG JIM
From: GUEST,christina
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 08:17 AM

If anybody is still out there four years later (!) here are the words from the Fivepenny Piece version of Big Jim, to be sung in Lancashire dialect, (and Scottish for Jock and the Judge!). I know it off by heart after having sung it with my parents over and over and over again on our journeys through Europe every summer!

BIG JIM

1. A famous Scottish angling club arranged to hold a match
And five pounds offered as the prize to him with the best catch.
Jock Thompson said, "Fer catching fish, good bait is what you need."
So he got to work at once big worms to try to breed.

Well he fed his pets on powdered milk, on baby food and whisky,
And when the contest day drew near, they were quite fat and frisky.
His favourite worm he called Big Jim. It really was a picture.
You'd 'ave thought he'd crossed a conger eel wi' a ruddy boa constrictor.

CHORUS: Big Jim were a worm, were a great big worm,
Were a great big, beautiful bloody red worm,
Large and fat, and just like a picture,
Crossed with an eel and a boa constrictor.
Fed him on whisky, which made him frisky,
On pies and a pint or two.
Big Jim were a worm, were a great big worm,
Were a great big, beautiful, bloody red worm.

2. Well the day arrived, the places drawn, and soon the fishing started.
It was a sin to puncture Jim and Jock was broken hearted.
And yet those five pounds must be won; he'd promised one to his daughter.
And so the dirty deed was done and Jim thrown in the water.

Chorus

3. Well some caught roach, and some caught bream, and some caught rainbow trout.
Some caught eels, and one caught seals, but most of 'em caught nowt.
Jock he waited patiently to give Jim chance to work,
And in a while his float did sink and gave the rod a jerk.

Well the fight went on for hours and hours. Jock couldna quench his thirst.
But Big Jim being the worm he were, the fish surrendered first.
And then the judge came running up and with him brought his scales,
When he saw the fish, he said, "Chuck it back, I'm no accepting whales!"

Chorus

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Flash Company
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 09:56 AM

Christina's words are spot on. Ken Thompson of The Cheshire Folk used to sing it, and Eric Crotty wrote it for Fivepenny Piece.

FC

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim was a worm.
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Dec 04 - 11:38 AM

*pedant alert*
except...'excepting' needs to be 'accepting'....
*end pedant alert*

not a huge difference in what got transferred to Australia, 'except' some dialect words.

Subject: Lyr Add: BIG JIM
From: GUEST,me!!
Date: 15 Jun 09 - 04:18 PM

A famous northwest anglin' club arranged to hold a match
An' five pounds offered as the prize to him with the best catch.
Jack Thomson said "For catchin' fish, good bait is what yer need."
So off he set to work at once big worms to try an' breed.

Well, he fed his pets on powdered milk, on baby food an' whiskey,
An' when the contest day drew near, they were quite fat an' frisky.
His favourite worm he called Big Jim. It really was a picture.
You'd have thought he'd crossed a conger eel with a great big boa constrictor.

CHORUS: Big Jim were a worm, were a great big beautiful chubby red worm,
Large an' fat an' just like a picture,
Crossed with an eel and a boa constrictor
Fed 'im on whiskey which made him frisky, on pies or a pint or two.
Big Jim were a worm, were a great big worm,
Were a great big beautiful chubby red worm.

Well, the day arrived, the places drawn and soon the fishin' started.
It was a sin to puncture Jim an' Jack was broken hearted.
And yet those five pounds must be won; he'd promised to his daughter.
So then the dirty deed was done and Jim were thrown in t'water. CHORUS

Well, some caught roach and some caught bream and some caught rainbow trout.
Some caught eels and 1 caught seals but most of them caught nout.
Jack he waited patiently to give Jim chance to work,
And in a while his float did sink and give the rod a jerk.

The fight went on for hours an' hours. Jack couldn't quench his thirst,
But Jim being the worm he were, the fish surrendered first.
And then the judge came running up and with him brought the scales,
And when he seen the fish he said "Chuck it back! We're not accepting whales!" CHORUS TWICE


This is how we sing it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Big Jim
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Jun 11 - 04:04 PM

my dad sang 'great Jim was a worm, a dirty great worm, a dirty great worm was Jim....' can't remember how the rest of his version went thogh