Consider the plight of the one legged knight
As he braces his crutch with his shield;
He'll stand still and wait 'til you come for the bait
Then you'll find that the bastard 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
When he fights in the Cripple's Shield Wall.
Beware the old dame who's arthritic and lame
So knee sprung she barely can stand;
For her hands and her eye 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 Cripple's Shield Wall.
No profit you'll find from the knight who is blind
He can hear you twelve paces away
He'll listen off hand 'til he's sure where you stand
Then his bill hook reaps far more then 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
As he fights in the Cripple's Shield Wall.
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 Cripple's Shield Wall.
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 'til 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 his chance with his downstroke again
You know that he'll strike but you never know when;
And he fights in the Cripple's Shield Wall.
Beware, I implore, all you masters of war
Who prefer to draft healthy young boys
For the blind, halt, and the 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 Cripple's Shield Wall.
Beware of the Cripple's Shield Wall!