The Duel

歌詞

Now, Wellington and Winchilsea wait to fight a duel A difference of opinion over papal rule Seconds polished firearms in the morning cool And muzzled down the pistol balls with the wire wool Late for his appointment, Winchilsea had to run He tripped over a branch and discharged his gun The year was 1829 on March 21 A curt bow with apology, probably would have done The Earl, he fired into the air, the Duke fired to the ground And honour was seen to be served by all those around Pistols at dawn on Battersea Down Just a silly argument over pope and crown But the Duke he looked too long at the sky as the ball descended And the Earl was hit by the ricochet and his life was ended A peppered coat, a bent, cocade, but not a fatal shot He slapped a man across the face and this is what he got The Duke's a national hero, the Earl didn't want his blood Seconds applied tourniquets to stem the deadly flood The Earl said with his dying breath as he lay down in the mud I think I just shot the prime minister my Lord The moral if there is one as you step the paces ten They used to do things so differently back then Now you can't shoot the prime minister, even by mistake But still there's a challenge that I would like to make