Maddy Prior - Hail the Ball lyrics

They're gathering at Cloffocks In the late afternoon Testosterone in T shirts The game's beginning soon An ancient war-like struggle For the Park or harbour wall The Uppies and the Downies Wage a battle for the ball Hail, hail the ball Hail the barbarians Running along the Harbour Wall The ball is up, they're in the beck The scrum is hard and tight The ball flies out away they run The beat the failing light They're ploughing up the cricket pitch And allotments of the town Stand back, stand back, bystander Or the scrum will run you down Laughing, pushing flexing style Dark determined eyes Thousands crowd the high-ground Murmuring asides They think the ball is the pack In the blood and muck and dirt But there are no rules in this game It's stuffed up Millican's shirt