Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist w… Read Full Bio ↴Martin Carthy (born May 21, 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days of the folk revival.

He was born in Hatfield and grew up in Hampstead, London. After training as an actor he sang in coffee bars. He became a resident at the Troubador folk club in Earls Court in the late 1950s. He joined Redd Sullivan's Thameside Four in 1961. He is a renowned solo performer of traditional songs in a very distinctive style, accompanying himself on his trusty old Martin Guitar; his style is marked by the use of alternate tunings, and a strongly percussive picking style that emphasizes the melody. His debut album, Martin Carthy, was released in 1965, and also featured Dave Swarbrick playing fiddle on some tracks, although he was not mentioned in the album's sleeve notes.

He has also been involved with many musical collaborations. He has sung with The Watersons since 1972, was an early member of the UK folk rock group Steeleye Span, and was part of the innovative Brass Monkey ensemble, which mixed a range of brass instruments with Carthy's guitar and mandolin and John Kirkpatrick's accordion, melodeon and concertina.

For many years Carthy has enjoyed a creative partnership with fiddle player Dave Swarbrick. More recently, Waterson:Carthy has provided the forum for a successful partnership with partner Norma Waterson together with their daughter Eliza Carthy.

In June 1998 he was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He was named Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2002, and again in 2005 when he also won the award for Best Traditional Track for 'Famous Flower of Serving Men'.

Boys of Bedlam
Martin Carthy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For to see mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand miles I'd travel
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
For to save her shoes from gravel

[Chorus]
Still I sing bonnie boys, bonnie mad boys
Bedlam boys are bonnie,

For they all go bare and they live by the air
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 the spit a-turning

[Chorus]

Me staff has murdered giants
And me bag a long knife carries
For to cut mince pies from children's thighs
With which to feed the fairies

[Chorus]

This spirit's white as lightning
Would on me travels guide me
The moon would shake and the stars would quake
When ever they espied me

[Chorus]

And when that I have murdered
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

[Chorus]

For to see mad Tom of Bedlam
Ten thousand years I'd travel
Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
For to save her shoes from gravel

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song "Boys of Bedlam" is an old English ballad that tells the story of a madman named Tom O'Bedlam. The singer expresses a desire to see Tom, even if it means traveling ten thousand miles. The song describes Mad Maudlin, a woman who also appears to be mad and goes about on dirty toes to save her shoes from gravel. The chorus of the song sings the praises of the Bedlam Boys for their carefree and wild lifestyle, living bare and without material needs.

The second verse sees the singer descend into Satan's kitchen to obtain food and soul on a spit, establishing the supernatural element of the song. The third verse speaks of the staff and bag carried by Tom, which are used to murder giants and cut mince pies from children's thighs to feed the fairies. In the fourth verse, the singer describes a white spirit who guides him on his travels, causing the moon to shake and stars to quake.

The final verse sees the singer proclaim his desire to break the staff of the man in the moon, shake his dog, and howl no demon louder. The song concludes with the singer repeating their desire to see Mad Tom O'Bedlam, regardless of the distance they must travel.

Line by Line Meaning

For to see mad Tom of Bedlam
I would travel a great distance just to catch a glimpse of the notorious madman named Tom of Bedlam.

Ten thousand miles I'd travel
I would go to great lengths, even if it meant spanning a distance of ten thousand miles, to see Tom of Bedlam.

Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes
Mad Maudlin, who is also considered insane, walks on dirty toes to keep her shoes clean.

For to save her shoes from gravel
She does this to prevent her shoes from getting dirty or damaged by gravel.

[Chorus]
The chorus emphasizes the beauty and freedom of the crazy men of Bedlam asylum, who live without worldly possessions and dependence on material things.

I went down to Satan's kitchen
I once ventured into hell itself, known as Satan's kitchen, to acquire food for myself.

For to get me food one morning
The purpose of my visit to Satan's kitchen was solely to obtain breakfast for myself.

And there I got souls piping hot
While I was there, I was able to obtain hot souls roasting on a spit.

All on the spit a-turning
These souls were being cooked by turning them on a skewer over the fire.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the same message, that Bedlam boys are carefree and live without material possessions.

Me staff has murdered giants
My staff has been used to slay giants in the past.

And me bag a long knife carries
In addition to my staff, I also carry a long knife in my bag.

For to cut mince pies from children's thighs
I use this knife to cut mince pies made from the flesh of children's thighs, which I then offer to the fairies as food.

With which to feed the fairies
The fairies are fond of this type of food and I provide it for them.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats its message once again.

This spirit's white as lightning
My spirit, which guides me on my travels, is as bright and quick as lightning.

Would on me travels guide me
This spirit helps me navigate and find my way on my journeys.

The moon would shake and the stars would quake
My presence is so powerful that it would cause the moon and stars to shake and quake with fear.

When ever they espied me
Whenever they caught sight of me, this would happen.

[Chorus]
The chorus concludes the song with a final repetition of its message.

And when that I have murdered
In the future, I plan to murder someone.

The man in the moon to a powder
The victim of my future murder will be the man in the moon, who I will reduce to powder.

His staff I'll break and his dog I'll shake
After killing the man in the moon, I will break his staff and shake his dog, demonstrating my power and fearlessness to all who witness it.

And there'll howl no demon louder
This act of violence will be so intense and powerful that no other demon will be able to howl louder in comparison.

[Chorus]
The chorus once again repeats the message of the song and finishes it off.

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