<html xmlns:tei="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><body><h1 align="center" class="head">The Toy Band</h1><h1 align="" class="head">(A <span class="smallcaps">Song of the</span> G<span class="smallcaps">reat Retreat</span>)</h1><div class="stanza"><p class="line"><span class="smallcaps">Dreary</span> lay the long road, dreary lay the town,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Lights out and never a glint o' moon:</p><p class="line">Weary lay the stragglers, half a thousand down,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Sad sighed the weary big Dragoon.</p><p class="line">"Oh! if I'd a drum here to make them take the road again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Oh! if I'd a fife to wheedle, Come, boys, come!</p><p class="line">You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum!</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">"Hey, but here's a toy shop, here's a drum for me,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Penny whistles too to play the tune!</p><p class="line">Half a thousand dead men soon shall hear and see</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">We're a band!" said the weary big Dragoon.</p><p class="line">Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come!</p><p class="line">You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum!"</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">Cheerly goes the dark road, cheerly goes the night,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Cheerly goes the blood to keep the beat;</p><p class="line">Half a thousand dead men marching on to fight</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">With a little penny drum to lift their feet.</p><p class="line">Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come!</p><p class="line">You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum!</p></div><div class="stanza"><p class="line">As long as there's an Englishman to ask a tale of me,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">As long as I can tell the tale aright,</p><p class="line">We'll not forget the penny whistle's wheedle-deedle-dee</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">And the big Dragoon a-beating down the night,</p><p class="line">Rubadub! Rubadub! Wake and take the road again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Wheedle-deedle-deedle-dee, Come, boys, come!</p><p class="line">You that mean to fight it out, wake and take your load again,</p><p class="line" style="text-indent:5%">Fall in! Fall in! Follow the fife and drum!</p></div><p class="byline">Henry Newbolt</p></body></html> · Great War