Lair of the White Worm

Subject: Lair of the White Worm
From: Jon
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 09:53 PM

Okay, Here's a wierd request.

I'm sitting here tonight watching "Lair of the White Worm" on the sci-fi channel. What a great film. Anyways, they have a little party at which a band plays and sings a song about the death of the White Worm. Now, this being a Ken Russel film, I assume that it is not a real song, but it's a fun irish tune (with a great arrangement) none the less. Has anyone taken the time to hack it out? Does anyone know what I am talking about? Does anyone know the band that performed (they sounded real familiar).

Thanks for reading my ranting,

Jon

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: dulcimer
Date: 02 Jan 98 - 11:07 PM

Stepped out of the room just as the part of the credits that usually gives the music. I was more impressed with the bagpipe tune.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LAMBTON WORM^^^
From: Bo
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 03:09 AM

My question about this flick arrises from the Lampton Worm song.

I was exstatic to find it by request here a year ago so here it is again for illustration.

The Lambton Worm traditional Tyneside song about a legend associated with Sir John Lambton of Chester Le Stree County Durham .

One Sunday morn young Lambton went, A-fishing' in the Wear;
An' catched a fish upon he's heuk, He thowt leuk't varry queer.
But whatt'n a kind of fish it was, Young Lambton cuddent tell.
He waddn't fash te carry'd hyem, So he hoyed it doon a well.

cho: hisht! Lads, haad yor gobs,
An Aa'll tell ye's aall an aaful story
Whisht! Lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aa'll tell ye 'boot the worm.

Noo Lambton felt inclined te gan, An' fight i' foreign wars.
He joined a troop o' Knights that cared, For nowther woonds nor scars,
An' off he went te Palestine, Where queer things him befel,
An' varry seun forgat aboot, The queer worm i' the well.
But the worm got fat an' growed and' growed, An' growed an aaful size;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob, An' greet big goggle eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot, Te pick up bits o' news,
If he felt dry upon the road, He milked a dozen coos.

This feorful worm wad often feed, On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,
An' swally little barins alive, When they laid doon te sleep.
An' when he'd eaten aall he cud, An' he had had he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped he's tail, Seven times roond Pensher Hill.

The news of this myest aaful worm, An' his queer gannins on
Seun crossed the seas, gat te the ears, Ov brave and' bowld Sor John.
So hyem he cam an' catched the beast, An' cut 'im in twe haalves,
An' that seun stopped he's eatin' bairns, An' sheep an' lambs and caalves.

So noo ye knaa hoo aall the foaks, On byeth sides ov the Wear
Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep
An' leeved i' mortal feor.
So let's hev one te brave Sor John
That kept the bairns frae harm,
Saved coos an' caalves by myekin' haalves
O' the famis Lambton Worm.

Final Chorus Noo lads, Aa'll haad me gob,
That's aall Aa knaa aboot the story
Ov Sor John's clivvor job
Wi' the aaful Lambton Worm.

Now isnt the lord they mention in White Wurm Sir John????

Bo

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Jon in MKE
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 11:15 AM

Just as it went to credits, those *%$(*&%#*$ shrunk down the movie screen and filled 2/3s of the screen with a promo for some series they are running. I couldn't read diddly, those bastards. 8^)

Bo, do you know if the tune it was set to was a traditional tune, or did they write it for that song. Is the song old, or was it written for the movie?

Thanks for the words!!!

Hangin out on the forecastle, Jon

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Jon
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 11:24 AM

After reading the words now (which I should have done before writing last time) I am curious (George), what is the backround for this song (who wrote it, and mostly when was it written). My simpletons guess is that it was not created for the film, but weho knows with Russel.

Jon again

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Susan of DT
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 11:56 AM

The Lambton Worm is in the DT with a note about its political connection.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Bruce O.
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 12:13 PM

The political connection appears to be unfounded.

"The Worme of Lambton" is given as a tale, not a song, in Sir Cuthbert Sharpe's 'The Bishoprick Garland', 1834 (reprinted 1969). Four verses are given there of a fragment of an old ballad, which may have been connected to the story.
Sir John Lambton was evidently a Knight of Rhodes.

Another Northumberland worm (serpent)is "The Laidley Worm of Spindelston Heughs", which Child gave as an appendix to #34, "Kemp Owyne".

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Jon
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 12:22 PM

Does anyone have (or has anyone seen) a MIDI file of this tune?

Still thawing from my NY swim, Jon

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Susan of DT
Date: 03 Jan 98 - 04:45 PM

Child ballads #31-36 have "worms" or other monsters - often enchanted women. #31

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Cluin
Date: 27 Nov 02 - 05:40 PM

From a website on the movie (http://www.geocities.com/lairof/):

(note no chorus, replaced with electrified mandolin/guitar leads)
(note also the change to D'Ampton from Lambton... avoiding law suit?)

From the annual party at D'Ampton Hall, performed by Emilio Perez Machado and Stephen Powys, 1988

^^
THE D'AMPTON WORM LYRICS

John D'Ampton went a-fishing once, a-fishing in the weir,
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,
It fit 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 weir,
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!

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: GUEST,Emilio Machado
Date: 24 Jan 06 - 07:32 PM

I wrote the tune to capture an ambivalently 'celtic'flavour.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 25 Jan 06 - 04:21 AM

Emilio - please join us as a member and talk some more. We'd love to have you. (I'm assuming he isn't a current member. I, being a relative NOOB, could be quite wrong)

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Cluin
Date: 24 Jul 07 - 05:03 PM

By the way, this was an exceedingly shite movie. The only good things about it were the song and Amanda Donohoe's tits.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 24 Jul 07 - 08:03 PM

Hugh Grant as a RAF man, that's all I remember and the Lambton Worm. i used to room with a Geordie bloke who unfortunately knew all the verses and used to sing it continually when very drunk, which was most nights.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Gulliver
Date: 24 Jul 07 - 09:50 PM

I thought this was a great, by times erotic, movie. There is so much going on,
and lots of historical sidelines to think about (besides Amanda Donohue's fantastic body--she really puts on a great act).
Hmmmm...

Gimme more!

Don

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: GUEST,Pigs
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 04:19 AM

So I'm not the only person who had a late night fascination with this song. The wonders of the internet. Are there any recordings of the tune put there?

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: The Walrus
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 04:48 AM

Is it worth the effort of pointing out that "Worm" is a traditional name for a dragon (I believe it's Norse in origin).

W

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 06:11 AM

Hugh Grant?? It's been a while since I saw it, but surely you mean Peter Capaldi? They're not dissimilar in appearance.

I could have done without AD's tits... mine are much more colourful and acrobatic. They seem to be hiding for the winter now though. I suppose I could coax them out by filling the feeder with sunflower seeds again.

Walrus is right - any dragon or serpent could be called a worm (often spelt wyrm) and it is Germanic in origin ((Old English: wyrm, Old High German: wurm, Old Norse: ormr). Wyrms are usually wingless dragons or the giant serpents associated with wells. Wyverns are winged dragons with two legs and dragons are winged with four or more legs.

LTS

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: ranger1
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 02:46 PM

Nope, Liz, definitely Hugh Grant.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 04:13 PM

Ah yes... without the clouding influence of large quantities of rum, it comes flooding back (and I found the video this afternoon!)

LTS

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 06:08 PM

I'm so glad....

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: TheSnail
Date: 25 Nov 07 - 09:23 PM

Both Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi were in it.

The last posting to this thread probably has more information than you need about th eorigins of the song.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: mandotim
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 03:11 AM

Just out of interest; it was set just round the corner from me on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border. The opening tracking shot where the camera pulls back from the mouth of a cave high on a hillside is Thor's Cave, a well known local landmark in the Manifold Valley. Not a lot of people know that...
Tim

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Nov 07 - 07:52 AM

The modern song which was based on the old legend was written by CM Leumaine, circa 1867

Bram Stoker based his Novel ' Lair Of The White Worm ' on it also.

eric

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: GUEST,Shannon RG
Date: 04 Oct 12 - 03:03 AM

So, no one still knows who the band was or who did the ending credits song? So very familiar, but I couldn't find anything. It was nice reading the thread from 15 yrs ago. MIDIs, 'blue clicky', ha!

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Oct 12 - 04:48 AM

Guest,Shannon R G
From Cluin's note 27/11/02:
From the annual party at D'Ampton Hall, performed by Emilio Perez Machado and Stephen Powys, 1988

So that seems to give the performers. A quick Google on those names suggests Louise Newman as violinist.

Cheers

Nigel

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: GUEST,Louise Newman
Date: 13 Apr 24 - 06:34 PM

The song ‘D’Ampton Worm’, in the film Lair of the White Worm, used the traditional lyrics to the folk song, the Lambton Worm, but the music was written by Stephan Powys and Emilio Perez Machado, with whom I recorded the track and the three of us appeared in the party scene at the beginning of the film. We were never a band, but Emilio and Stephan did have a musical association.

Subject: RE: Lair of the White Worm
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Apr 24 - 03:54 AM

I had it stuck in my head that the book was by Wilkie Collins - Thanks for putting me right Dave :-)

Must watch the film now!