The Four O'clock Bell
by M. Butler, IV A, Gaytonian March 1947
As the last lesson ends and the home bell approaches,
There's a counting of seconds and a glancing at watches,
And all the boys squirming with pent-up emotion,
Waiting to join in the noisy commotion.
Then the bell sets a-ringing, the boys make a rush;
There's a screaming of someone who's killed in the crush.
Now here come the cleaners: there's a battle of looks
And a hasty last-minute gathering of books.
Then down to the cloak-room. In the midst of the fights
Some wretched fourth-former plays on-off with the lights.
There's a grabbing of caps and a stranging with scarves,
And in a pitched battle some coats split in halves.
Never was heard such a dreadful furore
As there is at our school when the bell goes at four!