The Cripples’ Shield-Wall lyrics

[Verse 1]
Consider the plight of the one-legged knight
As he braces his crutch with his shield;
He’ll stand still and wait till you come for the bait
Then you’ll find that the bast*rd won’t yield!
Do you knock his one leg down, there’s still no relief
He’ll crawl down the field with his sword in his teeth;
And the reach of his sword-arm defies all belief
Where he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall

[Verse 2]
Beware the old dame who’s arthritic and lame
So knee-sprung she barеly can stand;
But her hands and her eyе are still steady and spry –
She’s the best crossbow-shot in the land!
With a repeating crossbow and war-arrow blade
She can pierce any armor that’s ever been made –
Be glad she’s not drawn to the highwayman’s trade!
She just fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!

[Verse 3]
No profit you’ll find from the knight who is blind
He can hear you twelve paces away:
He’ll listen off-hand till he’s sure where you stand
Then his bill-hook reaps far more than hay!
He can fight in the forest, the river, the plain
With his hearing unhampered by dark, fog, or rain –
He must know his ground, but he’ll sure bring you pain
Where he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!
[Verse 4]
Pray do not go near the knight who can’t hear:
Though he can’t tell command-calls at all
He reads signs from his friends, and his post he defends
With a lightning-fast seven-foot maul!
They say when it’s whirling it raises a breeze
And the head on its chain has been known to break trees –
So when he starts swinging, the prudent man flees
Where he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!

[Verse 5]
Watch out in the fight for the cripple-armed knight
Whose hand can’t swing up – only down
For he’ll watch through the dance till he spies a good chance
Then his downstroke will cost you your crown!
His shield-arm will raise up his sword-arm, and then
He’ll watch for a chance with his downstroke again –
You know that he’ll strike, but you never know when
And he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!

[Verse 6]
Beware, I implore, all ye masters of war
Who prefer to draft healthy young boys;
For the blind, halt, and lame can be good at this game
When well-placed, defending the toys
They’ve learned their art well, and they strike hard and true –
If they’ve something to prove, then they’ll prove it on you!
The last line on Earth that you’d want to drive through
You can swear, is the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!
Beware of the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!