The scene in “Joining the Colours” is not a quiet one; noise and sound are present throughout the piece. The boys are singing, the crowd is cheering, the air is heavy with “With tin whistles, mouth-organs, any noise” (Line 9). This is contrasted against the implied sounds of “shells and guns” (Line 2). The poem’s use of sound creates a divide between two worlds, as well as crystallizing this particular moment in time.