Tim Edwards introduces “Tom o’Bedlam’s Song,” an early 17th-century tune that has been described as the finest anonymous poem in the English language. Tom is a licensed beggar discharged from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London (“Bedlam”).
![Engraving of Tom o'Bedlam from 1608](https://cdss.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/song-of-the-month/tom-o-bedlam.jpg)