The starving stranger gasped, he surely clasped his hands upon me,
foaming at the mouth I heard him scream
"I do not need a bed"...then he tore away my sign that read
"Down, down with the King"

He continued with his eyes, all bulging, heaving sides,
saying "who am I to have a mouth to feed?"
I said "man you are Gods child", but those words just made him writhe,
he said, "No, I belong to The King"

"And he may take from whom he will, all my daughters he may fill,
my future and my past he may unwrite
if there is hate that I should hear, or things that I should fear
The King will never fail to give me sight"

Well I did summon up my strength and I shook him at some length,
until it seemed to maybe break the spell,
said "What endears you to him, he who's all but done you in,
and he who will just as soon as he can"

"He takes from you your crutch, sells you misfortune he calls luck
The King is the burden on your back"
well the man stared at me awhile and then past me many miles,
until his face, it crept into a grin

He said "my greed is so great I even hate myself
I hate everyone except for him
when The King kills or he steals, it frees and fulfills me,
to wish I could partake in the sin..."

I said "ok, good luck" and I walked away...
most likely in just the nick of time,
Down oh down, down with The King,
I so urgently began to hang my signs

As I went along, hanging up my signs
who should I see out there in the street?
first I heard the rabble cry, but when I heard them sing
I knew it was The King

The King he was out for his daily jaunt,
he was a' kicking every peasant in the shins,
after which he'd ask if they thought it was for free,
and demand they hand over a shilling

I said "hey King, I sees you over there
I just had a word with your poor man,
I tried to help him see just what a scoundrel that you are,
but I could not make him understand"

The King he turned to me with a sparkle in his eye,
and a grin so big he fairly beamed,
he glanced upon my sign and reading it in time,
The King he began to speak...

He said "Oh thank you my friend...what would I ever do,
without such a fool as you,
for as long as you peasants will a'fight amongst yourselves,
I shall never lose my grip upon you"

He bounded away and a silence did fall,
the misery of the street all creeping in,
and I tried to hang the last of my signs,
but I didn't have the strength to finish

So I stumbled home in the fading light,
the tears they were brimming in my eyes,
just then in the distance I heard the sound,
of church bells ringing in the night

Oh dear Lord, protect me will you
Protect me from myself,
Let me hate no Earthly Man,
even those who hate themselves...

Down oh down with the Earthly King
The king that I am too
Up, up, with my heart,
wont you keep it close to you