From The Known Words 1, long out of print and replaced by The Known Words, which doesn’t include this (among others) due to it being not of sufficiently high standard:
This is one of those songs that is unlikely to get me my Laurel. No doubt some of the names will be unfamiliar to you, but I hope the song is entertaining regardless. Oddly, it wasn’t that hard to write: the hardest part was the chorus, and the rest came easily. It’s a filk of Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start The Fire (couldn’t you guess?).
[1993]
Leaf of Merit, AoA, Court Baron, Protege,
Roman Lilies, Frantic Falcon, Squire to a Knight,
Art and Science, Viscountess, Laurel, Pillar of the West,
Hospitaller, madrigaller, heavy, fencer, light,
Pelicans, Rose Leaves, Barons, archers, LOGs, Reeves,
Rowan’s Order, Marshal, keeper of the chronicle,
Man at Arms (rarely seen), Kingdom’s got a new Queen,
Prince’s Cipher, wear it well, tell it to the Seneschal…
We didn’t join for fighting,
Or the songs or dancing or the wild romancing,
No, we didn’t join for fighting,
It’s a game, we play it, do we need to say it?
Ozibod, Old Farts, Scarlet Women, Descartes,
Ursies, Brotherhood, unexpected motherhood,
Robby Gordon, Reynardine, Baron Hrolf and Madeleine,
Rowan, Isabeau, Spider, Skye and Agro,
Hugh Louis, Marguerite, Greasyespoone – let’s eat!
Mouse and Corin, Master Llewyn, wonder what is Elffin doin’,
Thorfinn and Alain, Maelgwyn, Mouse again,
Kiriel, know her well, got some more kebabs to sell…
River Haven, Southron Gaard, Ynys Fawr, Innilgard,
Stormhold, Torlyon, Bacchus Wood, Saint Florian,
Parvus Portus, Mordenvale, Aneala, Schöental,
Bart and Gildas, Blessed Herm, something different every term,
Aldhelmites and Amesbury, Ursies live in Rowany,
Dismal Fogs, Ignatius, and Politarchopolis,
What a lot of baronies, shires and universities,
West and east, weeks at least, come and have another feast!
We didn’t join for fighting,
Or the songs or dancing or the wild romancing,
No, we didn’t join for fighting,
But when we are gone, legends still live on and on and on…