minstrel: Tom O'Bedlam

[Dick Eney]

With all due respect, my lord, the version you post appears to combine a
few verses of "Mad Maudlin's Search for her Tom of Bedlam" with a few
verses of the original "Tom O'Bedlam's Song". 

More specifically:
On Fri, 7 Feb 1997, Wes Will wrote:
>                              Mad Tom of Bedlam
> Chorus:
> (V1)		    Still I sing, any food, any feeding
> 			Feeding, drink or clothing
>                      Come dame or maid, be not afraid,
> 		       Old Tom will injure nothing.
V1 is from Tom of Bedlam's Song

> 
> (V2)              Still I sing bonny boys, bonny my boys,
>                           Bedlam boys are bonny.
>               For they all go bare, And they live by the air,
>                      and they want no drink nor money.
V2 is From Mad Maudlin's Search, as sung by Tom Gilfellon.

>                        For to see Mad Tom of Bedlam,
>                      Ten thousand miles I've travelled.
>                       Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes,
>                      For to save her shoes from gravel.
> 
>                       I went down to Satan's kitchen,
>                        For to get me food one mornin'
>                      And there I saw souls pipin' hot,
>                          All on that spit a turnin'
These two verses are from Mad Maudlin's song.
 
>                          Of your five sound senses,
>                          You'll never be forsaken,
>                      Nor wander from yourself with Tom,
>                          Abroad to beg your bacon.
> 
>                      The night's my constant mistress,
>                        And the lonely owl my marrow,
>                 The flamin' drake, and the night-crow make,
>                          Me music to their sorrow.
> 
>                          I know more than Appollo,
>                        Far off when he lies sleepin'
>                       I see the stars of mortal wars,
>                       And the wounded welkin weeping.
> 
>                       With a host of furious fancies,
>                           Whereof I am commander,
>                  With a flaming spear, and a horse of air,
>                       Through the wilderness I wander
> 
>                       A knight of ghosts and shadows,
>                          I summoned am to tourney,
>                   Ten leagues beyond the wide world's end,
>                          Methinks it is no journey.

These five verses are from Tom O'Bedlam's Song, leaving out the three
referring to the French Disease, bestiality, and sleeping in churchyards.

>                        For to see Mad Tom of Bedlam,
>                      Ten thousand years I've travelled.
>                       Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes,
>                      For to save her shoes from gravel.
This verse is from Mad Maudlin's Search.
> 
>                               -author unknown

In the service of clarity when possible, 
=Tamar the Gypsy (sharing account dickeney at access.digex.net)


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