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The King

from The Jester by Adam Balbo

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Two albums on one CD: "The Jester" (2012) and "A Little Bit Ludicrous" (2017). Four panel card stock in a plastic sheath. Artwork by Helen Lee.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Jester via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
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lyrics

THE KING

Yeah, you traded in your terrible tantrum.
& Now you’re thoroughly thronging the theme.
You know, I don’t give two shits or half a fuck
At the risk of sounding mean.
So, you straddled the sycophant
& Slobbered over several sad souls.
I’m sure all the wide-mouthed, wackjobs now
Will puff it up with pristine prose.
I heard you thwacking the loser.
After gawking, I found my stash.
It was right where I had left it
In a sack, stuffed behind my dram.

Who gives a fuck? Go blow a die and squeeze your luck
The jester put it to the king innocently: “Who gives a fuck?”
The jester put it to the king bluntly: “Who gives a fuck?”

The jester has a unique position,
Last in line for his majesty’s ear.
Distinct among the court, he’ll tell it to him straight,
Regardless of what the king wants to hear.
Oh, he’ll bring in all his royal functionaries,
With their opinions and reams of facts.
Every blow-hard pundit, crank, talking head,
& Breathless, fuming partisan hack.
Then there’s the yammer of the moral crusaders,
The cool, bland technocrat,
The bunk jargon piffle & hooey egghead drivel,
Yeah, the king listens to all of that, but…

Who gives a fuck? Go blow a die and squeeze your luck
The jester put it to the king impatiently: “Who gives a fuck?”
The jester put it to the king earnestly: “Who gives a fuck?”

One day the king was getting restless.
He confided to his groom of the stool:
“I wonder of the things of ordinary folks
In the dominion over which I rule.”
So, he summoned his best knight and his butler,
His standard bearer & his herald-of-arms,
The royal secretary &, of course, the jester
To lend the trip his dispassionate charm.
They all descended the castle staircase,
Down through the cold, empty, stone foyer.
The king’s entourage then crossed the jaw bridge
To explore the realm for the day.

Who gives a fuck? Go blow a die and squeeze your luck
The jester put it to the king succinctly: “Who gives a fuck?”
The jester put it to the king with no hint of irony: “Who gives a fuck?”

The sweep of the landscape was stunning,
As they moved briskly down the slope
Of the commanding heights of commerce,
Where the dealers gamble & monetize hope.
They pass the picture-perfect, gentile estates
Through the brainstorm and data mines.
Beyond the labs that bottle lightning
& Dreams produced on assembly lines.
They make it to the depth of the valley,
Near the base of the towering spires,
Where the clerics, hawkers, artists, & peasants
All toil merely to inspire.
The king happens upon a place to rest
At the wellspring of humility.
He & his attendants are left to reflect
On the fringes of his sovereignty.

Who gives a fuck? Go blow a die and squeeze your luck
The jester put it to the king plainly: “Who gives a fuck?”
The jester put it to the king simply: “Who gives a fuck?”

credits

from The Jester, released November 5, 2012

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