Bedlam Boys

Scarborough Faire 1994
Bedlam Boys
For to see Mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I traveled
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
To save her shoes from gravel.

Chorus:
Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonny
For they all go bare and they live on the air
And they want no drink nor money.

I went down to Satan's kitchen
To break my fast one morning
And there I got souls piping hot
All on the spit a-turning.

My staff has murdered pirates
My bag a long knife carries
To cut mince pies from the pirate's thighs
With which to feed the fairies.

A spirit white as lightening
Would on my journey guide me
The stars would shake and the moon would quake
Whenever they did spie me.

There I took up a cauldron
Where boiled ten thousand pirates
So full of flame I drank the same
To the health of all such varlets.

And to the men of bedlam
and all their pirate plunder
so full of gold it steals me soul
when discover they wonder

I spent my time in Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I traveled
Seen Maudlin girls on dirty toes
For to save their shoes from gravel.

Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonny
For they all go bare and they live on the air
And they want no drink nor money.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Scarborough
• Faire
• Pirates
• 1994

[JoyfulKittie]

when I learned it, I learned "Bedlam boys are barmy" but all the lyrics I've been looking up say "Bedlam boys are bonny" That's what happens with folk tunes.

[MySerpentine]

This song is probably as old as Bethlehem Hospital . . .

[MySerpentine]

The one I heard was

"My stab has murdered giants

and my bag a long knife carries

For to cut mince pies from childrens' thighs

with which to feed the faeries."

[MySerpentine]

I own a version of this song . . .

Oh, and by the way-how much have these people drunk?

[lartp]

Have you heard the modern adaptation "Bedlam Boyzz" from the cd "Voodoo Princess"?

It also has a youtube video up.

[HaleyStark]

This song has been around since at least the late 1600's, so it has lots and lots of verses and even more variations of every voice. A small example: And they live in the air/ And they live on the air/ And they live by the air. And that's just an article! Hee hee.

[jynxfox]

Interesting, though the version of it I'd heard had the verse go

"My staff has murdered giants

and my bag a long knife carries

For to cut mince pies from childrens' thighs

and feed them to the faeries."