The Battle Lyrics - Strawbs - Strawbs

In the early dawn the Bishop's men 

Shivered in the damp 

But the shiver came not from the cold 

And spread throughout the camp 

The trembling horses sensed the fear 

Of silent thoughtful men 

Who prayed that wives and families 

Might see them once again 

The bishops sent a dawn patrol 

To investigate the weight 

Of forces at the King's command 

Ensconced behind the gate 

The ground mist hid the patrol's approach 

As they drew close enough to show 

The sentries on the battlements 

And an archer drew his bow 

From the topmost tower a sentry fell 

As an arrow pierced his skull 

And his headlong flight into the moat 

Seemed that of a gull 

The patrol reported little 

There was nothing much to see 

But the strong and silent castle 

A symbol of the free 

The King's men took communion 

As the first rays of the sun 

Lit up the castle's gloomy walls 

The fatal day begun 

From the castle green the rooks took flight 

To the high trees in the east 

To their carrion minds the battlefield 

Set a table for a feast 

A tide of black, the Bishop's men 

Equality their right 

Swarmed like ants across the hill 

Their aim at last in sight 

The King's men dressed in purest white 

Were driven back by force 

And the fighting grew more violent 

As the battle took its course 

The Bishops gave the order 

No mercy to be shown 

The sacrifice will reap rewards 

When the King is overthrown 

The sight of children lying dead 

Made hardened soldiers weep 

The outer walls began to fall 

They moved towards the keep 

The rooks surveyed the battlefield 

Their hungry beady eyes 

Reveled in the sight of death 

Showing no surprise 

The pressure mounted steadily 

As the Bishops neared the gate 

And the desperate King called to his knights 

It's your lives or the State 

When the anxious King began to fail 

As many thought he might 

The Queen ran screaming round the walls 

And urged the men to fight 

The Bishop's men were tiring 

As the afternoon drew late 

And the King's men lowered the drawbridge 

And poured out through the gate 

They fought their way across the bridge 

The men like falling leaves 

Or ears of corn that fall in swathes 

The vicious sickle cleaves 

The tide receded up the hill 

The waste of reclaimed land 

Once decaying swamp became 

A shore of pure white sand 

A blinded priest was seen to bless 

Both dying and the dead 

As he stumbled around the battlefield 

His cassock running red 

If uniform were black or white 

His eyes could never see 

And death made no distinction 

Whatever man he be 

As darkness fell both camps withdrew 

Their soldiers slain like cattle 

Leaving the rooks to feast alone 

The victors of the battle 

At evensong both camps reviewed 

Their sad depleted ranks 

As survivors of the battle 

Gave God their grateful thanks