Base-Ball Ballads/"Till the Last Man Is Out"

by Grantland Rice

 

"TILL THE LAST MAN IS OUT."

Old pal, is the game just a trifle too rough?
 Is the flag of success floating out of your view?
Does the schedule of Life seem too rocky and tough?
 Is the umpire "throwing it into you?"
It may look that way, but fight on just the same,
 Get back at your rivals with "clout for clout;"
Don't think you are beaten and so pull up lame,
 For "the game's never lost till the last man is out."

"Run out every hit," whether hard one or not,
 "Sacrifice" right when it's well up to you;
Don't try to "hammer the ball from the lot,"
 Just "hit where they ain't," and a single will do.
There's many a line-up that came from behind
 When the outlook was gloomy and clouded with doubt;
You'll be in the running if you'll bear in mind:
 "No game's ever lost till the last man is out."

Quite often the "hoodoo will camp on your trail,"
 And the luck break against you with never a stop;
The harder you struggle, the more you will fail
 As you "fumble 'em," "boot 'em," and "let 'em all drop."
But it's all "in the game," so swing on to your pace,
 And don't mind the knocking that's floating about;
It's the finish that counts, not the start of the race,
 And "the game's never lost till the last man is out."

Good fortune may take you along for a day,
 But Fortune is fickle; don't bank on her strong.
"Fast work on the bases" in every scrappy fray,
 With "team work and hitting," will take you along.
You can't help your errors, but cut out "dumb plays,"
 For those are the miscues that put you to rout;
"Stand up to the plate" and remember always:
 "The game's never lost till the last man is out."

L'Envoi.

When you ponder it over, they're both much the same,
 For life, just like baseball, is shrouded in doubt;
And the point in them both is to "play out the game,"
 And never give up till "the last man is out."