Cannons roared in the valley they thundered
While the guns lit up the night
Then it rained and both sides wondered
Who is wrong and who is right
`

On the wire like a ragged old scarecrow
Bloody hands and broken back
When they fire see him pirouette solo
Jump in time to the rat a tat
`
What a night though it's one of seven

What a night for the dancing dead
What a night to be called to heaven
What a picture to fill your head

`
By the wall in a silouette standing
Through a flash of sudden light
Cigarette from his mouth just hanging
Paper square to his heart pinned tight
`
Gather round reluctant marksmen
One of them to take his life
With a smile he gives them pardon
Leaves the dark and takes the light

`

They dispatch their precious cargo
Knock him back right off his feet
And they pray may no one follow

Better still to face the beast
`

When the field has become a garden
And the wall has stood the test
Children play and the dogs run barking
Who would think or who would guess