An unpaid mason
In the most common version Lamkin, the stonemason, is hired by Lord Wearie to build him a castle. When it is complete, the Lord refuses to pay, saying he would have to sell his land to pay for the castle he had built on it. Wearie soon makes a trip across the sea, and Lamkin, with the aid of the Lord's nursemaid, takes his revenge on his family during his absence. He first attacks Lord Wearie's baby.
Then Lamkin a' tane a sharp knife,
That hang down by his gaire,
And he has gien the bonny babe
A deep wound and a sair.
This gets the attention of Lady Wearie, who offers gold and riches to Lamkin if he will spare her life. No rationale is ever given for the extreme measures Lamkin takes, nor why he refuses money at this stage, if his grievances were merely financial. It is speculated that some verses may be missing, although there is some evidence that the nurse may have had a long-standing personal grudge, and played a more active role in the killings.
"O sall I kill her, nourice,
Or sall I lat her be?"
"O kill her, kill her, Lamkin,
For she neer was good to me."
Lord Wearie returns months later to find his wife and son dead, and Lamkin gloating over the deed.
"And wha's blood is this' he says,
'That lies in my ha'?"
"It is your young son'd heart's blood;
'T is the clearest ava."
Lamkin is hanged for his crimes, as he must have known he would be, again giving him no motive but the cruelest revenge. In some later version, the nurse is burned at the stake, the punishment for petty treason.
A bogeyman
Other versions follow the same basic story, but the antagonist has many different names, among them "Balankin", "Lambert Linkin", "Rankin", "Long Lankyn", and "Lammikin". Later versions lose the opening of the story, which explains that Lamkin is a mason who has not been paid; in these, Lamkin becomes a sort of a bogeyman who dwells in the wild places; the lord, before leaving, warns against him:
Says milord to milady as he mounted his horse,
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the moss."
Says milord to milady as he went on his way,
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives in the hay."
These versions add peculiar incidents that add to the grisliness of the crime. Lamkin and the nursemaid collect the baby's blood in a basin, for no named purpose. This has led to speculation that Lamkin was a leper who sought to cure himself by bathing in the blood of an innocent.
Performances
The song has been recorded as "Long Lankin" on "But Two Came By" (1968) by Martin Carthy. Steeleye Span perhaps most famously recorded it as "Long Lankin" on Commoner's Crown (1975), and vocal trio The Devil's Interval also recorded it as Long Lankin on their debut album "Blood & Honey" (Wildgoose 2006). Dave Burland recorded "Lamkin" on his album You Can't Fool The Fat Man (1979) with Nic Jones. The Neofolk band Fire + Ice recorded "Long Lankin" on their album Gilded By The Sun (1992). The song has also given its title to Long Lankin, a collection of short stories by John Banville
Long Lankin
Steeleye Span Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives amongst the gorse
Beware the moss, beware the moor, beware of Long Lankin
Be sure the doors are bolted well
Lest Lankin should creep in"
Said the Lord unto his Lady as he rode away
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives amongst the hay
Be sure the doors are bolted well
Lest Lankin should creep in"
"Where's the master of the house?", says Long Lankin
"He's 'way to London", says the nurse to him
"Where's the lady of the house?", says Long Lankin
"She's up in her chamber", says the nurse to him
"Where's the baby of the house?", says Long Lankin
"He's asleep in the cradle", says the nurse to him
"We will pinch him, we will prick him
We will stab him with a pin
And the nurse shall hold the basin
For the blood all to run in"
So they pinched him and they pricked him
Then they stabbed him with a pin
And the false nurse held the basin
For the blood all to run in
"Lady, come down the stairs," says Long Lankin
"How can I see in the dark?", she says unto him
"You have silver mantles", says Long Lankin
"Lady, come down the stairs by the light of them"
Down the stairs the lady came, thinking no harm
Lankin, he stood ready to catch her in his arms
There was blood all in the kitchen
There was blood all in the hall
There was blood all in the parlor
Where my lady she did fall
Now Long Lankin shall be hanged
From the gallows, oh, so high
And the false nurse shall be burned
In the fire close by
Said the Lord unto his Lady as he rode over the moss
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives amongst the gorse
Beware the moss, beware the moor, beware of Long Lankin
Make sure the doors are bolted well
Lest Lankin should creep in"
"Long Lankin" is a traditional ballad that tells the story of a dangerous, supernatural creature who harms an innocent family. The song starts with the lord of the house warning his lady to beware of Long Lankin, who lives in the gorse and moor, and to keep the doors bolted tightly. The lord repeats this warning as he rides away. Long Lankin arrives at the house and inquires about the family of the house. The nurse informs him that the master is away, while the lady and her baby are sleeping. Long Lankin and his accomplices pinch, prick, and stab the baby, while the nurse holds the basin to catch its blood. Long Lankin lures the lady downstairs where he ambushes her and kills her, leaving the house bathed in blood. The lord returns, determines what has happened, and sentences Long Lankin and the nurse to execution.
The songhas a spooky melody and features tragic lyrics about greed, betrayal, and murder. The story warns against the dangers of letting strangers into one's home, and the importance of being cautious and vigilant. According to some interpretations, the song is a cautionary tale for women not to let their guard down when they are alone at home.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the Lord unto his Lady as he rode over the moss
The Lord warns his Lady of the danger of Long Lankin, who lives amongst the gorse on the mossy ground.
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives amongst the gorse
The Lady is warned to be mindful of Long Lankin.
Beware the moss, beware the moor, beware of Long Lankin
The Lady is cautioned to be careful in and around the marshy land to avoid danger from Long Lankin.
Be sure the doors are bolted well
To prevent Long Lankin from entering the house, the doors must be bolted securely.
Lest Lankin should creep in"
The Lady is advised not to let her guard down and take precaution against Long Lankin entering the house.
Said the Lord unto his Lady as he rode away
As the Lord departs, he reminds the Lady once again to beware of Long Lankin who lives among the hay and to secure the doors.
"Where's the master of the house?", says Long Lankin
Long Lankin inquires about the master of the house to gather information about the whereabouts of the occupants.
"He's 'way to London", says the nurse to him
The nurse provides false information to Long Lankin about the master of the house.
"Where's the lady of the house?", says Long Lankin
Long Lankin inquires about the lady of the house to gather information about the whereabouts of the occupants.
"She's up in her chamber", says the nurse to him
The nurse provides false information to Long Lankin about the location of the lady of the house.
"Where's the baby of the house?", says Long Lankin
Long Lankin inquires about the baby of the house to gather information about the occupants.
"He's asleep in the cradle", says the nurse to him
The nurse provides Long Lankin with information on the location of the baby of the house.
"We will pinch him, we will prick him
We will stab him with a pin
And the nurse shall hold the basin
For the blood all to run in"
Long Lankin and the false nurse plan to harm the baby of the house and make the nurse complicit in the violent acts.
So they pinched him and they pricked him
Then they stabbed him with a pin
And the false nurse held the basin
For the blood all to run in
Long Lankin and the nurse carry out their violent acts against the baby of the house, causing a flow of blood into the basin.
"Lady, come down the stairs," says Long Lankin
Long Lankin lures the Lady of the house down the stairs, pretending to assist her in the dark.
"How can I see in the dark?", she says unto him
The Lady hesitates to follow Long Lankin, being cautious in the darkened space.
"You have silver mantles", says Long Lankin
Long Lankin manipulates the Lady into coming down the stairs by mentioning something that is to her liking, namely the silver mantles.
"Lady, come down the stairs by the light of them"
Long Lankin again tries to convince the Lady to come down the stairs and use the silver mantles for illumination.
Down the stairs the lady came, thinking no harm
Lankin, he stood ready to catch her in his arms
The Lady trusts Long Lankin and comes down the stairs unsuspecting of the violence to follow.
There was blood all in the kitchen
There was blood all in the hall
There was blood all in the parlor
Where my lady she did fall
The Lady falls victim to Long Lankin's violence, as evidenced by the blood found in various parts of the house.
Now Long Lankin shall be hanged
From the gallows, oh, so high
And the false nurse shall be burned
In the fire close by
Long Lankin and the false nurse will receive due punishment for their heinous acts against the occupants of the house.
Said the Lord unto his Lady as he rode over the moss
The Lord once again warns his Lady about Long Lankin living in the gorse on the moss and advises her to bolt the doors.
"Beware of Long Lankin that lives amongst the gorse
The Lady is reminded again to be watchful of Long Lankin.
Beware the moss, beware the moor, beware of Long Lankin
The caution is repeated, including warning about the moss and moor, to impress upon the Lady the importance of taking heed against Long Lankin.
Make sure the doors are bolted well
The Lady is urged one last time to ensure the doors are securely bolted against Long Lankin.
Lest Lankin should creep in"
The final line of the song serves as a stark reminder to the Lady to not let her guard down against the threat of Long Lankin entering the house.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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Silver Nova
I love Steeleye Span, their music takes me to another time and place. These days, that is a very welcome feeling indeed.
A' mazonion A' valon
that's so beautifully put, thank you....
Anna Nunn
This song is one of the most beautiful I have heard in a while, her voice is so different and eerie. I orginally came here thanks to a book i recently read based on the song - Long Lankin ~ Lindsey Barraclough - i probably wouldn't of heard the song otherwise (I'm 15!) Now i just can't stop visiting the song, its always in my head. :D
Tom Tremayne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZICB-eYizI Opening track here
Tom Tremayne
Find Ian Read's Fire and Ice version of the song, it's a masterpiece!
dovie2blue
I love the way it changes tempo and then goes back - and love the male voice as Long Lankin. Maddy's voice was indeed, legend. Saw them perform in Denver once long long ago.
Evan Khongsngi
The band I turn to whenever I need to need to hear something away from the mainstream.
A H
Listened to this as a three year old and it still gives me chills down my spine, very enigmatic.
folioio
I was just falling in love with Span when I first heard this, and I remember the way my heart dropped in that little pause after "Lankin he stood ready to catch her in his arms."
And when the singers came back in, singing so calmly and beautifully: "There was blood all in the kitchen..." I think I nearly passed out :) Love this band.
Tess Avelland
Oooh yes, that pause! It's fantastic to see someone else respond to that moment.
My mom and I used to make each other laugh, in happy singsong, 'There was blood all in the kitchen, there was blood all in the hall...'