Willy's Lady ~ The Bedlam Boys

Guitar and vocals by Gregor Harvey. Lyrics are traditional. I own nothing.

[@jackskelington9453]

Listened to this in my Folklore class. Awesome song!

[@thereverendepi_gee565]

I love this song so much.. I can't explain it.

[@Lindoriel]

It's clever, mysterious, magical, and the rhyming and music are so compelling. I love it too ^_^

[@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms]

It's just a fucking banger.

[@grantfoster9101]

This one's a solo by Gregor. He's a great singer and amazing guitarist, and he gets all the credit for the arrangement too.

[@Lindoriel]

Thank you for the information! It's nice to hear from a Bedlam Boy! :) Y'all's music still has lots of fans, myself included.

[@lizapaiziscreations4942]

Thank you for this Grant - not having the privilege of seeing you both perform live I did not know who sang which songs :) Your music is incredibly beautiful and inspiring and thanks to Lindoriel Owl for posting it here!

[@joelachlan8425]

instablaster

[@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms]

Anything else Gregor did?

[@sandramorey2529]

The Tune is from Breton. Son Ar Chiste (a tribute to cider) I think is the title. Ray Fisher fitted the tune to this wonderful Child Ballad. Beautiful and they do it so well. Ray and Martin Carthy have both recorded it. If you scroll down to the words, you'll find a very thorough description of where this came from.

[@Koldatt]

Ev chist ar laou, rak chist so mat lonla

[@adriennedunne1748]

What a nasty mother-in-law!! In songs like this one, you always find they come to a sticky end. 😅 Great Breton tune. I remember hearing it first, sung by Alan Stivell in the 70s.

[@kevieg3]

Thank you so much for posting this and other Bedlam tunes. How well I remember the first time I heard Gregor play this. It was King Richard's Faire in '98 or '99, I think. It was a rainy day and many of us huddled in the Sky Chair booth, trying to stay dry. As many of us were musicians, we all took turns entertaining ourselves with a Music Jam. Gregor held us spellbound with this one! I should also say that the wonderful Bodhran playing on this track is by Aaron Welsh.

[@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms]

I love this song. Really cool band.

[@bernardteissier9370]

Super, un beau tableau Préraphaélite d'Henry Meynel Rheam et une belle musique bretonne "Son Ar Chistr"!

[@ybt1995]

Willie's Lady King Willie, he's sailed over the raging foam. He's wooed a wife and he's brought her home. He wooed her for her long golden hair. His mother wrought her a mighty care. A weary spell she's laid on her: She'd be with child for long and many's a year. But the child she would never bear. And in her bower she lies in pain. King Willie at her bed-head, he do stand. As down his cheeks the salten tears do run. King Willie back to his mother he did run And he's gone there as a begging son. Said: "Me true love has this fine noble steed, The like of which you ne'er did see. At every part of this horse's mane, There's hanging fifty silver bells and ten. There's hanging fifty bells and ten. This goodly gift, shall be your own. If back to my own true love you'll turn again That she might bear her baby son. Of the child, she'll never lighter be Nor from sickness will she e'r be free But she will die and she will turn to clay And you will wed with another maid. Then, sighing, said this weary man As back to his own true love he's torn again "I wish my life were at an end." King Willie back to his mother he did run And he's gone there as a begging son. Said: "Me true love has this fine golden girdle, Set with jewels all about the middle." At every part of this girdles hem. There's hanging fifty silver bells and ten. There's hanging fifty bells and ten. This goodly gift, shall be your own. If back to my own true love you'll turn again That she might bear her baby son. Oh, Of the child, she'll never lighter be Nor from sickness will she e'r be free But she will die and she will turn to clay And you will wed with another maid. Then, sighing, said this weary man As back to his own true love he's torn again "I wish my life were at an end." Then up and spoke his noble queen, And she has told King Willie of a plan How she might bear her baby son. She said: "You must go get you down to the market place And you must buy a you loaf of wax. And you must shape it as a babe that is to nurse. And you must make two eyes of glass. And ask your mother to a Christening day And you must stand there, close as you can be That you can hear what she do say. King Willie, he's gone down to the market place. And he has bought him a loaf of wax. And he has shaped it as a babe that is to nurse And he has made two eyes of glass. He asked his mother to the Christening day And he has stood there, as close as he could be That he might hear what she did say. How she spoke, and how she swore She spied the babe where no babe could be before She spied the babe where none could be before Says: "Who was it, who undid the nine witch knots, Braided in amongst this lady's locks. And who was it took out the combs of care, Braided in amongst this lady's hair. And who was it slew the master kid That ran and slept all beneath this lady's bed That ran and slept all beneath her bed. And who was it unlaced her left shoe And who was it that let her lighter be That she might bear her baby boy. And it was Willie who undid the nine witch knots Braided in amongst this lady's locks. And it was Willie who took out the combs of care, Braided in amongst this lady's hair. And it was Willie the master kid did slay And it was Willie who unlaced her left foot shoe And he has let her lighter be. And she has born of a baby son And greater the blessings that be them upon And greater the blessings them upon Ray Fisher married the words to the tune of the Breton "Son ar Chiste" (The Song of Cider) which was written in 1930 by a piper who is now a tramp on the streets of Paris. The story of the song is very close to that of the birth of Hercules, although there the timing of the trickery is, if anything, even more critical. Recorded by Martin Carthy on Crown of Horn, Rounder Records 3019 and by Ray Fisher on Folk Legacy Child #6 DC

[@sandramorey2529]

Yosriggx: Interesting about "Son ar Chiste". I always thought it was very old. As Ewan MacCall observed-to sing a ballad like this one is like performing Shakespeare. You have to have an audience educated enough to follow the story to it's end. Thanks for posting the words. I only performed this once as keeping my half drunk audience attending took a huge amount of energy. Great song, though.

[@Lindoriel]

@kevieg3 You're welcome! They're so talented and I personally haven't found any other celtic music that I've enjoyed so well: I thought they ought to be on KZbin. Wow, what a neat memory! I've personally never seen Gregor Harvey or Bedlam perform, but my brother-in-law has, and he got me into their music. I've been listening over the past year and doubt I'll ever get tired of it. Thanks for the input!

[@bobmessier5215]

Thank you for turning me onto this Celtic band. I think you will enjoy the albums of Empty Hats, the Minstrels of Mayhem and Emerald Rose. They are similar to the Bedlam Boys.

[@Lindoriel]

Thank you for the suggestions! :)

[@Dou8me]

Marvellous!Why the hell this song has only 774 visits? The YT people must have gone mad.

[@iluvausten40517]

I love this music . . . but I cannot find any albums anywhere by this group. Help!

[@baroqueman1]

What a talented band the Bedlam Boys are ! Masterful arrangements performed in an un ffected manner. (Are they still active ?)

[@nicholasc.3962]

I think of no

[@23seana73]

I would love the lyrics if anyone has them. Xx

[@WocklessGamingforAnimeMoms]

This is basically Midevil Jimmy Neutron.

[@cityman2312]

This is weird, isn't it? Don't women usually like babies? If the mother in law were spiteful, she would normally direct it against just the wife, rather than the grandchild.

[@sandramorey2529]

Cityman: it is a story. Spiteful mothers are all over the place in the Child Ballad collections. It is the King's mom who is a witch or consorted with a witch to place those terrible spells on this poor woman. Take a look at Masterpiece Theatre's "I Claudius". There's a mother from Hell.