She made her home in the countryside west of Portland, Oregon, and performed up and down the West Coast. She played solo, or with Uffington Horse, her Celtic Folk and World Rock band.
Heather's ten albums were published on her own label, Sea Fire Productions, including two live albums, seven studio works, as well as a "blooper" album released only on CD-R. her last concert under that name.
Her last public performance as Heather was at OryCon 2006. There is a live DVD available, Ever After - Live!, which is a recording of that concert. In early 2007 she transitioned to male and since April 2007 has performed as Alexander James Adams.
http://faerietaleminstrel.com/inside/.
Bedlam Boys
Heather Alexander Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ten thousand miles I traveled
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
For to save her shoes from gravel
chorus:
Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonny
And they want no drink nor money.
I went down to Satan's kitchen
For to get me food one morning
And there I got souls piping hot
All on a spit a-turning.
From the hag and hungry goblin
That into rags would rend ye
All the sprites that stand by the naked man
In the book of moons, defend ye
My staff has murdered giants
And me bag a long knife carries
For to cut mince pies from children's thighs
And feed them to the faeries.
The spirits white as lightening
Would on my travels guide me
The stars would shake and the moon would quake
Whenever they espied me
And when that I’ll be mutherin’
The Man in the Moon to a powder
His staff I’ll break and his dog I’ll shake
And there’ll howl no demon louder
The lyrics of Bedlam Boys by Heather Alexander recount the wild and fanciful tales of Mad Tom of Bedlam, a famous figure in English folklore who was believed to be a wandering, insane beggar. The singer of the song claims to have traveled ten thousand miles to see Mad Tom who refers to himself as a bedlam boy, a term used for the inmates of the Bethlem Royal Hospital, which was notorious for its treatment of the mentally ill in the 16th century.
Mad Maudlin is another character mentioned in the song who is also believed to be a crazy beggar. She goes "on dirty toes" to save her shoes from gravel, indicating her poverty and destitution. The chorus of the song celebrates the bedlam boys and their carefree, unconventional lifestyle. They go barefoot and live off the land, wanting no drink nor money.
The third and fourth verses are a description of the singer's journey into the underworld where he visits Satan's kitchen and eats souls piping hot off a spit. The imagery is macabre and fantastical, befitting the overall tone of the song. The following verses depict the singer's encounter with mythical creatures and his own magical powers.
Overall, the lyrics of Bedlam Boys are a celebration of the unconventional and the mad. It is a song that evokes an older, more superstitious time, when tales of supernatural beings and madmen roamed the English countryside.
Line by Line Meaning
For to see Mad Tom of Bedlam
I traveled ten thousand miles just to see Mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I traveled
I traveled a great distance to see Mad Tom of Bedlam
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
Mad Maudlin walks barefoot to save her shoes from gravel
For to save her shoes from gravel
Mad Maudlin walks barefoot to prevent her shoes from getting ruined by gravel
Chorus: Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys Bedlam boys are bonny For they all go bare and they live by the air And they want no drink nor money.
I sing of the handsome and crazy Bedlam boys who live without the need for drink or money and walk barefoot in the open air.
I went down to Satan's kitchen For to get me food one morning And there I got souls piping hot All on a spit a-turning.
I visited Satan's kitchen to get food where I saw souls roasting on a spit.
From the hag and hungry goblin That into rags would rend ye All the sprites that stand by the naked man In the book of moons, defend ye
May the kind sprites who protect the naked man in the book of moons defend me from the rag-wearing hag and hungry goblin.
My staff has murdered giants And me bag a long knife carries For to cut mince pies from children's thighs And feed them to the faeries.
I've used my staff to kill giants and carry a long knife to make mince pies from children's thighs to feed the faeries.
The spirits white as lightening Would on my travels guide me The stars would shake and the moon would quake Whenever they espied me
The white spirits have been guiding me on my travels and the stars and moon tremble when they see me.
And when that I’ll be mutherin’ The Man in the Moon to a powder His staff I’ll break and his dog I’ll shake And there’ll howl no demon louder
I'll grind the Man in the Moon to dust and break his staff and shake his dog, causing no demon to howl louder.
Contributed by Nathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kylar Smith
I listened to the March( after reading the Ringo books) it inspired me. this song made me happy. Thank you Heather or Alexander or whatever, your art speaks for itself and I admire you for it.so thank you
Mark Long
Technically, the original singer would have been a resident of Maudlin (Madeleine) hospital as the Bedlam (Bethlehem) madhouse was for male patients - and she wants to see Tom of Bedlam and that is why she would have to go to see him.
Nemnyoom
this comment aged rather poorly. in fact, it was wrong from the start
Banana Milk
I'm not sure how applicable this is but the first lines talk about mad madlin
Cole Chandwel
Cool, I like that this version has a verse I had not heard before.
Mark Stockman
My Lady Wife has sung this one for at least 30 years, and there are two verses there she hasn't heard. That's why I love folk music. There are even songs where there are a few standard verses, and the crowd around the fire take turns making up new verses on the spot.
NewWorldJacobite
She's good at making herself sound nuts, which is an asset if the legend behind the song is true.
Karencita Eliza
that was super super super badass!! you did a fantabular job on this song. I loooove this song and i love your version a heck of a lot! good job! ;p
CairineTheElfHearted
Sometimes it's fun to sing madly.
Ohilevoe
This made the Dies the Fire books so much more amusing now that I've realized just HOW bawdy this song is, and then translated into Elvish.