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Battle Royal Lyrics by Adrian Matejka

The Big Smoke

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Back then, they'd chain a bear
in the middle of the bear garden
& let the dogs loose. Iron chains
around a bear's neck don't slow
him too much. A bear will always
make short work of a dog. Shakespeare
said Sackerson did it more than
twenty times to dogs & wildcats
alike. & since most creatures
are naturally afraid of bears, there
wouldn't always be much of a show
in the bear garden. So the handlers
sometimes put the bear's eyes out
or took his teeth to make the fight
more sporting. I believe you need
eyes more than you need teeth
in a fight, but losing either makes
a bear a little less mean. Once baiting
was against the law, some smart
somebody figured coloreds would fight
just as hard if hungry enough.
So they rounded up the skinniest
of us, had us strip to trousers, then
blindfolded us before the fight.
They turned us in hard circles a few
times on the ring steps like a motorcar
engine before pushing us between
the ropes. When the bell rang,
it seemed like I got hit from eight
directions. I didn't know where
those punches came from, but I swung
so hard my shoulder hasn't been right
since because the man said only
the last darky on his feet gets a meal.
Credits
Adrian Matejka

Adrian Matejka

About “Battle Royal” by Adrian Matejka

Read the complete lyrics to "Battle Royal" by Adrian Matejka from the album "The Big Smoke". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Battle Royal" is performed by Adrian Matejka. from the album "The Big Smoke" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Battle Royal", explore more songs by Adrian Matejka using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Battle Royal" is credited to Adrian Matejka. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Battle Royal" appears on "The Big Smoke".

Visit the Adrian Matejka artist page at /artist/adrian-matejka for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.