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'.
The Bedmaking
Martin Carthy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He put me to service when I was very young.
My mistress and me we never could agree,
Because that my master he would love me.
Well she sent me upstairs to the loft
To make up a bed so neat and soft.
Master followed up with a gay gold ring,
All through the kitchen and down through the hall,
All through the parlour among the women all,
Master followed up with a gay gold ring,
Saying, "Betty, have this for your bedmaking."
Mistress come upstairs in a great haste,
Caught the master there with his arm round me waist.
From the top to the bottom stair she did him fling,
Saying, "Mister, take that for your bedmaking."
All through the kitchen and down through the hall,
All through the parlour among the women all.
Everybody asked me wherever I had been,
And they laughed when I said, "At the bedmaking."
Mistress she flung me out of the door,
She called me a nasty cheeky little whore.
The weather being wet and my clothes being thin,
How I wished I was back at the bedmaking.
Six month over and seven month past,
Pretty fair maid grew thick about the waist.
Her stays wouldn't meet nor her pinafore pin;
She cried when she thought of the bedmaking.
Eight month over and nine month gone,
Pretty fair maid had a beautiful son.
She's took him to the church, she had him christened John,
And she took him back again to the dear old man.
She cursed him through the kitchen and down through the hall,
Cursed him through the parlour among the women all,
Saying, "If you won't pay me, take your little son John,
Cos he never cost you nothing but the bedmaking."
The Bedmaking tells a story of a young woman named Betty who works as a servant in the household of a man and woman. The first stanza introduces her father, who put Betty to work at a young age. Betty's mistress treats her poorly, but her master is kind to her, and they develop a romantic relationship. One day, while Betty is making a bed in the loft, the master follows her upstairs and gives her a gold ring as a gift. However, the mistress catches them and throws the master down the stairs. Betty becomes the subject of gossip among the household, and the mistress eventually throws her out.
Six months pass, and Betty becomes pregnant, and everyone gossips about the child's father. The baby is born, and Betty names him John, but she resents the father for his actions. In the end, she curses him while holding her baby and says that he is no more than the product of their bedmaking. The song speaks to the power dynamics involved in relationships, as well as the impact of gossip on women in positions of servitude.
Line by Line Meaning
Me father, he was a good old man,
My father was a kind person.
He put me to service when I was very young.
He sent me to start work at a young age.
My mistress and me we never could agree,
My mistress and I never got along.
Because that my master he would love me.
My master was attracted to me.
Well she sent me upstairs to the loft
She sent me to the loft upstairs.
To make up a bed so neat and soft.
To prepare a comfortable and neat bed.
Master followed up with a gay gold ring,
My master gave me a happy, shiny gold ring.
Saying, "Betty, have this for your bedmaking."
He said that I could have the ring for making the bed.
All through the kitchen and down through the hall,
We went through the kitchen and down the hall.
All through the parlour among the women all,
We went through the parlour where all the women were.
Mistress come upstairs in a great haste,
My mistress hurriedly came upstairs.
Caught the master there with his arm round me waist.
She saw the master with his arm around my waist.
From the top to the bottom stair she did him fling,
From the top of the stairs to the bottom, she threw him.
Saying, "Mister, take that for your bedmaking."
She said that he deserved that for his role in the bed-making incident.
Everybody asked me wherever I had been,
Everyone asked me where I had been.
And they laughed when I said, "At the bedmaking."
They laughed when I told them I was at the bed-making.
Mistress she flung me out of the door,
My mistress threw me out of the door.
She called me a nasty cheeky little whore.
She insulted me by calling me a rude name.
The weather being wet and my clothes being thin,
Since it was rainy and my clothing was light,
How I wished I was back at the bedmaking.
I wished I was back in the comfort of making beds.
Six month over and seven month past,
Six months passed, then another seven months.
Pretty fair maid grew thick about the waist.
I became pregnant.
Her stays wouldn't meet nor her pinafore pin;
My clothes didn't fit anymore.
She cried when she thought of the bedmaking.
I cried when I thought of the bed-making incident.
Eight month over and nine month gone,
Eight months passed, then another nine months.
Pretty fair maid had a beautiful son.
I gave birth to a lovely baby boy.
She's took him to the church, she had him christened John,
I took him to church and named him John.
And she took him back again to the dear old man.
I brought him back to his loving father.
She cursed him through the kitchen and down through the hall,
I cursed him while walking through the kitchen and down the hall.
Cursed him through the parlour among the women all,
I cursed him among the women in the parlour.
Saying, "If you won't pay me, take your little son John,
I told him to keep his son if he wouldn't pay me.
Cos he never cost you nothing but the bedmaking."
Because the only thing he gave me was a gold ring for making his bed.
Contributed by Maria L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daniel
on Lovely Joan
Hello ! The lyrics here art alle wrong. An' it's got tae be a frog-eater a-tellin' thee....