Come Back Clammy Lammy
Cardiacs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fancy drowning to death you barmy in
Half a fathom see red rim barnacle
Come back clammy he reek all lammy
He tear off all of his clothes and snap his hair
Suffer he stink, he reek all lamb
"Hi, 'tis me pal I come back clammy
I reek all lammy of half a fath
Saw red rim barnacle make it to heaven"
Fancy drowning to death you lamb you
Come back clammy you reek all lammy
Of half a fathom of stink and you dead
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
Come back clammy you dead saw barnacle
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
All soldiers together in World War One
Having a bit of a laugh on the Somme
My friend says, "Where's my dirty bottom gone?"
I says, "Blown of by a big bomb"
And he says, "I thought there was a bit of a stink pong"
All soldiers together in World War One
Having a bit of a laugh on the Somme
My friend says, "Where's my dirty bottom gone?"
I says, "Blown of by a big bomb"
And he says, "I thought there was a bit of a stink pong"
All soldiers together in World War One
Having a bit of a laugh on the Somme
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
Dead and you make it up to heaven
Fancy starving to death you barnacle
In half a fathom of red rim barnacle
Come back clammy you dead you barnacle
Tear of all his clothes and snap his hair
It was your idea to have a crazy party
With all your new pals to enjoy a free feed
On your body and to make the birds stop singing
While they go pick your bones white as pale
All stench and stale to barter with a hammer and you
Come back clammy you dead saw barnacle
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
"Hi, 'tis me pal I come back clammy
I reek all lammy in half a fathom
Of suffer and stink and clam and you"
Come back clammy you dead saw barnacle
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you dead
Saw barnacle make it to heaven
Come back clammy you red rim barmy you
Come back clammy you dead saw barnacle
Make it to heaven
The lyrics to Cardiacs's song Come Back Clammy Lammy are difficult to interpret and may mean different things to different listeners. One interpretation is that the song is about death and the afterlife. The opening line suggests that the person being addressed has already died and made it to heaven. The second line, "Fancy drowning to death you barmy in," may be a reference to how the person died. The mention of a "red rim barnacle" could be a metaphor or symbolic of something, but it's unclear what that may be.
The chorus "Come back clammy he reek all lammy" may suggest the person speaking is longing for the deceased person to return, even though they are now in heaven. The repetition of this line throughout the song emphasizes the singer's desire for the deceased to come back. The line "All soldiers together in World War One, having a bit of a laugh on the Somme" appears twice, and may be a reference to the tragic loss of life during WWI. The final verse, which is about having a "crazy party" on the singer's body after they die, is morbid and disturbing, but again may be a metaphor for something deeper.
Overall, the lyrics to Come Back Clammy Lammy are cryptic and hard to decipher, but they may be a commentary on life, death, and the afterlife, as well as the brevity and fragility of human existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead you barmy you make it to heaven
You're insane, but if you die you might go to heaven
Fancy drowning to death you barmy in
You'd be crazy to want to drown to death
Half a fathom see red rim barnacle
There's a barnacle with a red rim that can be seen at a depth of half a fathom
Come back clammy he reek all lammy
Return and you'll be wet and smell bad
He tear off all of his clothes and snap his hair
He becomes so distressed that he rips off his clothes and pulls his hair
Suffer he stink, he reek all lamb
He's in agony and smells like a sheep
"Hi, 'tis me pal I come back clammy
Greetings, it's me, your pal, returned all wet and smelly
I reek all lammy of half a fath
I smell like a sheep from being in half a fathom of water
Saw red rim barnacle make it to heaven"
I saw a barnacle with a red rim and thought of heaven
Fancy drowning to death you lamb you
You'd be crazy to want to drown to death, you sheep
Of half a fathom of stink and you dead
In half a fathom of water, you'll die and smell bad
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
Maybe you'll go to heaven, you crazy red-rimmed barnacle
Come back clammy you dead saw barnacle
Return and you'll be all wet and dead like the barnacle I saw
All soldiers together in World War One
All the soldiers were together during World War One
Having a bit of a laugh on the Somme
They were joking around while fighting on the Somme
My friend says, "Where's my dirty bottom gone?"
His friend lost his dirty bottom (probably pants)
I says, "Blown of by a big bomb"
The bottom was blown off by a bomb
And he says, "I thought there was a bit of a stink pong"
He thought there was a bad smell from the lost bottom
Come back clammy you reek all lammy
Come back and you'll be wet and smell like a sheep
Of half a fathom of stink and you dead
In half a fathom of water, you'll die and smell bad
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
Maybe you'll go to heaven, you crazy red-rimmed barnacle
Dead and you make it up to heaven
If you die, you might go to heaven
Fancy starving to death you barnacle
You'd be crazy to want to starve to death
In half a fathom of red rim barnacle
At a depth of half a fathom, there's a barnacle with a red rim
Come back clammy you dead you barnacle
Return and you'll be wet and dead like a barnacle
Tear of all his clothes and snap his hair
He becomes so distressed that he rips off his clothes and pulls his hair
It was your idea to have a crazy party
You came up with the idea for a wild party
With all your new pals to enjoy a free feed
To share a free meal with your new friends
On your body and to make the birds stop singing
To use your body as food and make the birds quiet
While they go pick your bones white as pale
The birds will peck your bones until they're white as death
All stench and stale to barter with a hammer and you
The only things left will be stinking and old, and worthless to trade for anything, especially with you
Make it to heaven red rim barmy you
Maybe you'll go to heaven, you crazy red-rimmed barnacle
Contributed by Jeremiah S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.