There was peace at first in the tight-packed tin,
Content in the greasy gloom,
Till the whisper ran there were some therein
With more than their share of room;
And I saw the combat from start to end,
I heard the rage and the roar,
For I was the special The Daily Friend
Sent out to the Sardine War.
The courage was high on every face
As the wronged ones took their stand