[Verse 1]
As I look out of my chambers
Oh, let this thigh bone be my scepter
Let this bird's nest be my crown
And these boxes be my throne
Let me look on with knowing eyes
Let the rats here be my sniffers
Oh, there is always fear of poison
Let my rule be praised and my name be remembered for benevolence
Always in history
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, how I wish that I was that king of men
Laid down with clove and cardamom
They preach about me as they touch my ashen skin
And they wash my face and wash my balls
And they have no shame and they've seen it all
The'll bite my toe off as they run off with their prize
[Chorus]
"Oh Lord, the king is dead!
Who shall we look to instead?
Oh Lord, the king is dead!
What an awful day!"
[x2]
Wish I could have been more than a ragdoll
Pull the buttons from my eyes
Oh, I could have been the only king of men
"Hold my hand!"
[Bridge]
Jonah played the sacred chord
Mary sang and wasn't heard
Charlotte with her child voice high
Winonna with her sorrow's sigh
[Chorus]
"Oh Lord, the king is dead!
Who shall (/will) we look to instead?
Oh Lord, the king is dead!
What an awful day!"
[x2]
Wish I could have been more than a ragdoll
Pull the buttons from my eyes
Oh, I could have been the only king of men
"Hold my hand!"
[Bridge]
Walk into the light
Oh, tell the truth
Of where I've been
[Verse 2]
As I look out from my home here
Let me find a way from the rain here
Let all of my aggressors who would wish me harm
Just wash and wash away
Let my calloused hands protect me
From the vermin who would attack me
Let the men who would convert me for the price of a hot meal
Find pilgrims elsewhere instead
[Pre-Chorus]
Oh, how I wish that I was that king of men
Laid down with clove and cardamom
They preach about me as they touch my ashen skin
And they wash my face and wash my balls
And they have no shame and they've seen it all
The'll bite my toe off as they run off with their prize
[Chorus]
"Oh Lord, the king is dead!
Who shall we look to instead?
Oh Lord, the king is dead!
What an awful day!"
[x2]
Couldn't have been more than a ragdoll
Pull the buttons from my eyes
Sure, I could have been the only king of men
"Hold my hand!"
[Bridge]
Jonah played the sacred chord
Mary sang and wasn't heard
Charlotte with her child voice high
[Interlude]
Oh, how I could have been king
If I were taller
Or maybe right-handed
Or smarter
Or more converted
Or maybe, or maybe
If my skin didn't fall every change of the season
Yes, yes, I could have been king
If I knew the ways to make ladies swoon
When I say those magic words:
"I love you"
Yes
But maybe
In a special place
At a special time
I could still be king yet
[Verse 3]
And oh, I fall, upon the lonely pavement
As the busy bodies circle all around me
And they sing a psalm and lift me to my kingdom
And they raise my arms and praise what they've been given
Oh, there was Winonna
And Charlotte
And her brother Jonah
And Mary, she sang over me:
[Outro]
"Lord, where are you?
In our time of need?"
[x2]