A Kingdom Ablaze [Dennis DeYoung]

A Kingdom Ablaze 
Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by Dennis DeYoung

With the kingdom ablaze
We averted our gaze
By hiding our eyes
When the pillars came down
We heard not a sound
From the city of lies

Nero's sang the same song they'd been singing
While hero's shot in vain their arrows slinging

Then the king and his knaves
The fools and the slaves
Kept pouring our wine
And we knew we should stop
But we drank every drop
Every grape from the vine

Barren grew the land between the oceans
And sorcerers could not conjure magic potions

House of cards, cried the child
We are tribes, running wild
It was you, it was me
It was us, can't you see?

When our greed becomes our need
All will bleed

So we musn't blame fate
When fools legislate
Without any plan
And we dare not ignore
The devil in store
From the nature of man

The future lies in state with tragic endings
While we still contemplate our happy endings

House of cards, cried the child
We are tribes, running wild
Was it you, was it me?
It was us, can't you see?

Who cares if the stars and sun don't shine?
I've got mine

Ubi est mea
Ubi est mea
Deus est pecunia
Ubi est mea
Ubi est mea
Deus est pecunia

House of cards, our malaise
Shall we dance, a kingdom ablaze?
Was it me, was it you?
It was us, true is true

Who cares if rivers turn to brine?
I've got mine

Interpretation

As civility and mutual purpose has given way in our society to tribalism and divisiveness, we have gone on as if everything was fine, but really, metaphorically, the kingdom is ablaze. Everything is about greed and self-interest. We need to pay attention to what politicians are doing and do what we can to secure a future for the next generation. If we want to point fingers, we can point at each and every one of us.