Strawbs - The Battle lyrics
rate meIn the early dawn the Bishops' men<br />
Shivered in the damp<br />
But the shiver came not from the cold<br />
And spread throughout the camp<br />
The trembling horses sensed the fear<br />
Of silent thoughtful men<br />
Who prayed that wives and families<br />
Might see them once again.<br />
<br />
The bishops sent a dawn patrol<br />
To investigate the weight<br />
Of forces at the King's command<br />
Ensconced behind the gate<br />
The ground mist hid the patrol's approach<br />
As they drew close enough to show<br />
The sentries on the battlements<br />
And an archer drew his bow.<br />
<br />
From the topmost tower a sentry fell<br />
As an arrow pierced his skull<br />
And his headlong flight into the moat<br />
Seemed that of a gull<br />
The patrol reported little<br />
There was nothing much to see<br />
But the strong and silent castle<br />
A symbol of the free.<br />
<br />
The King's men took communion <br />
As the first rays of the sun<br />
Lit up the castle's gloomy walls<br />
The fatal day begun<br />
From the castle green the rooks took flight<br />
To the high trees in the east<br />
To their carrion minds the battlefield<br />
Set a table for a feast.<br />
<br />
A tide of black, the Bishops' men,<br />
Equality their right<br />
Swarmed like ants across the hill<br />
Their aim at last in sight<br />
The King's men dressed in purest white<br />
Were driven back by force<br />
And the fighting grew more violent<br />
As the battle took its course.<br />
<br />
The Bishops gave the order<br />
No mercy to be shown<br />
The sacrifice will reap rewards<br />
When the King is overthrown<br />
The sight of children lying dead<br />
Made hardened soldiers weep<br />
The outer walls began to fall<br />
They moved towards the keep.<br />
<br />
The rooks surveyed the battlefield<br />
Their hungry beady eyes<br />
Revelled in the sight of death<br />
Showing no surprise<br />
The pressure mounted steadily<br />
As the Bishops neared the gate<br />
And the desperate King called to his knights<br />
"It's your lives or the State".<br />
<br />
When the anxious King began to fail<br />
As many thought he might<br />
The Queen ran screaming round the walls<br />
And urged the men to fight<br />
The Bishops' men were tiring<br />
As the afternoon drew late<br />
And the King's men lowered the drawbridge<br />
And poured out through the gate.<br />
<br />
They fought their way across the bridge<br />
The men like falling leaves<br />
Or ears of corn that fall in swathes<br />
The vicious sickle cleaves<br />
The tide receded up the hill<br />
The waste of reclaimed land<br />
Once decaying swamp became <br />
A shore of pure white sand.<br />
<br />
A blinded priest was seen to bless<br />
Both dying and the dead<br />
As he stumbled around the battlefield<br />
His cassock running red<br />
If uniform were black or white<br />
His eyes could never see<br />
And death made no distinction<br />
Whatever man he be.<br />
<br />
As darkness fell both camps withdrew<br />
Their soldiers slain like cattle<br />
Leaving the rooks to feast alone<br />
The victors of the battle<br />
At evensong both camps reviewed<br />
Their sad depleted ranks<br />
As survivors of the battle<br />
Gave God their grateful thanks.
