Written and performed by Dave Migman,
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There was once a king
who dwelt in
in a fabulous hall
in some northern city
far far away

He sat at a long table
resplendent with the offerings
from numerous guests
and he’d tasted everything sweet
every kind of fruit and meat
cooked for him by his servants
in every conceivable way

His guests were a continuous stream
of princes, princesses, philosophers
heroes with their wide golden smiles
candles dancing around the table
flames unto the winds

There was once a king who sat at a table
in the company of every sort of clown
he with his piebald crown
unaware they pinned bells there

People came from miles around
to listen to his stories
to partake his wisdom

Songs and laughter
regaled the nights
in the mountain hall
in the northern city
and the nights were long
and united in their joy

Candles dancing around the table
candles dancing around the table
flames unto the winds
flames unto the winds

candles dancing around the table
flames unto the winds

There was once a king
well, he thought he was a king
he was a man scared of being alone
like any other sort of man
being scared of being left alone

In a room of smoke and booze
his eyes strained through
and over steaming platters his quick lips
chattered the knotted philosophies
twisted like the briars through the years

And they came to see the clown
to listen and mock each repeat
and they placed upon his head
the tri-pronged crown of fools
and all the while he barely blinked
the fables fled his lips
and there he sat
proudly propped
at the head of the table
waiting for the lady
whose kindness knew no limit
who was as scared as he was
of that loneliness
of the cell, the emptiness she felt

But you see, he was still a king
and therefore, she could never sit beside him
she could only enjoy his wisdom,
from the other side of the table

But she still believed in him
despite the heckles of the others
despite his drunken stutters
how wisdumb had become
a form of shortsightedness
like a record stuck, unable to move on

There was once a king
he sat at the head of a table
and he laughed away his loneliness
but still he felt alone

There was once a king
he lives there still
silent in the great hall
candles dancing
twisting shadows round the table
she sits there still