The Cripples Shield-Wall

Dm C F Dm Dm C F Dm Dm Dm C F C Consider the plight of the one-legged knight Dm F A As he braces his crutch with his shield; F C Dm A He’ll stand still and wait till you come for the bait, F C Dm Then you’ll find that the bastard won’t yield! Gm C Dm Do you knock his one leg down, there’s still no relief, Gm C Am A7 He’ll crawl down the field with his sword in his teeth; Dm C A And the reach of his sword-arm defies all belief F C Dm Where he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall. C F C Beware the old dame who’s arthritic and lame, Dm F A So knee-sprung she barely can stand; C Dm A But her hands and her eye are still steady and spry – F C Dm She’s the best crossbow-shot in the land! Gm C Dm With a repeating crossbow and war-arrow blade Gm C Am A7 She can pierce any armor that’s ever been made – Dm C Gm A Be glad she’s not drawn to the highwayman’s trade! F C Dm She just fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall! C F C No profit you’ll find from the knight who is blind. Dm F A He can hear you twelve paces away: Dm C Dm A He’ll listen off-hand till he’s sure where you stand, F C Dm Then his bill-hook reaps far more than hay! Gm C Dm He can fight in the forest, the river, the plain, Gm C Am A7 With his hearing unhampered by dark, fog, or rain – Dm C Gm A He must know his ground, but he’ll sure bring you pain F C Dm As he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall! C F C Pray do not go near the knight who can’t hear: Dm F A Though he can’t tell command-calls at all, F C Dm A He reads signs from his friends, and his post he defends F C Dm With a lightning-fast seven-foot maul! Gm C Dm They say when it’s whirling it raises a breeze, Gm C Am A7 And the head on its chain has been known to break trees – Dm C Gm A So when he starts swinging, the prudent man flees F C Dm Where he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall! C F C Watch out in the fight for the cripple-armed knight Dm F Am Whose hand can’t swing up – only down, A F C Dm A For he’ll watch through the dance till he spies a good chance, F C Dm Then his downstroke will cost you your crown! Gm C Dm His shield-arm will raise up his sword-arm, and then Gm C Am A7 He’ll watch for a chance with his downstroke again – Dm C Gm A You know that he’ll strike, but you never know when, F C Dm And he fights in the Cripples’ Shield-Wall! C Am Dm C Am Dm C F C Beware, I implore, all ye masters of war Dm F A Who prefer to draft healthy young boys; F C Dm A For the blind, halt, and lame can be good at this game, F C Dm When well-placed, defending the toys. Gm C Dm They’ve learned their art well, and they strike hard and true – Gm C Am A If they’ve something to prove, then they’ll prove it on you! Dm C G A The last line on Earth that you’d want to drive through, F C Dm C You can swear, is the Cripples’ Shield-Wall! F C Dm Beware of the Cripples’ Shield-Wall!