Base-Ball Ballads/The Slide of Paul Revere
THE SLIDE OF PAUL REVERE.
Listen, fanatics, and you shall hearOf the midnight slide of Paul Revere; How he scored from first on an outfield drive By a dashing sprint and a headlong dive—'Twas the greatest play pulled off that year.
Now the home of poets and potted beans,Of Emersonian ways and meansIn baseball epic has oft been sungSince the days of Criger and old Cy Young;But not even fleet, deer footed BayCould have pulled off any such fancy playAs the slide of P. Revere, which wonThe famous battle of Lexington.
The Yanks and the British were booked that tripIn a scrap for the New World championship;But the British landed a bit too late,So the game didn't open till half past eight,And Paul Revere was dreaming awayWhen the umpire issued his call for play.
On, on they fought, 'neath the Boston moon,As the British figured, "Not yet, but soon;"For the odds were against the Yanks that night,With Paul Revere blocked away from the fightAnd the grandstand gathering groaned in woe,While a said wail bubbled from Rooters' Row.
But wait! Hist! Hearken! and likewise hark!What means that galloping near the park? What means that cry of a man dead sore?"Am I too late? Say, what's the score?"And echo answered both far and near,As the rooters shouted: "There's Paul Revere!"
O how sweetly that moon did shineWhen P. Revere took the coaching line!He woke up the grandstand from its tranceAnd made the bleachers get up and dance;He joshed the British with robust shoutUntil they booted the ball about.He whooped and he clamored all over the lot,Till the score was tied in a Gordian knot.
Now, in this part of the "Dope Recooked"Are the facts which history overlooked—How Paul Revere came to bat that nightAnd suddenly ended the long-drawn fight;How he singled to center, and then straightawayDashed on to second like Harry Bay;Kept traveling on, with the speed of a bird,Till he whizzed like a meteor, rounding third."Hold back, you lobster!" but all in vainThe coachers shouted in tones of pain;For Paul kept on with a swinging stride,And he hit the ground when they hollered: "Slide!"
Spectacular plays may come and goIn the hurry of Time's swift ebb and flow;But never again will there be oneLike the first American "hit and run."And as long as the old game lasts you'll hearOf the midnight slide of P. Revere.