Evening all, it's been a while since I've been on. Hope you're all well.
Does anyone know anyone from the This is Wearside group that did the Lambton Worm banner at the game on Saturday? I'd like to talk to them. Feel free to DM me, or whatever.
Don't know if this helps mate
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Ballad of the Lambton Worm
The Lambton Worm
Words by C.M. Leumane (1867)
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.
chorus:
Whisht! 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 abootT
he queer worm i’ the well.
(chorus)
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 abootT
e pick up bits o’ news,If he felt dry upon the road,
He milked a dozen coos.
(chorus)
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.
(chorus)
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.
(chorus)
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.
The worm when people tried to slay it by cutting it in half would rejoin and carry on it terrible reign.
Lord Lambton consulted the local witch who told him to stand on a rock in the middle of the Wear wearing a suit of armour studded with sharp razor like swords.
As the worm coiled around him it was cut to pieces and each section washed away by the river so he became an instant hero.
The witch added a condition to the instructions that Lambton had to slay the first living thing to greet him after or a curse would befall his family.
He instructed his servant to release a hound but his son was so overwhelmed at the victory he beat the hound to his father. His father stepped to one side and killed the hound but the curse was enforced and to this day all Lord Lambtons died with their boots on.
Don't know about the last bit being true but that is what legend says.
