Long Live The King

Long Live The King
Written by Lawrence Gowan, Ricky Philips, Tommy Shaw, Will Evankovich
Lead Vocals by Tommy Shaw

Listen on YouTube 

Locked in the tower of the castle wall, there's a stranger
Waiting for his day
And things that he'd say
To bring down the old one

High above the ranks of greed and confusion
Almost half asleep, in the belly of the beast
Awaits a Monster

The King is dead
And the world is set on fire
And we all scream, "long live the king!"
Long live the king
Long live the king

There's an army of a million men at the gate
Looking for a war to wage
Like an actor with no stage
Or someone to feed them

Thеre is no beginning and therе is no end
All just take the seat
Stuck there on repeat
And they'll do it again and again and again and again
I said "yeah!"

The king is dead
And the world is set on fire
And we all scream, long live the king
Long live the king
Long live the king

Interpretation

In countries with a monarchy, the expression "Long live the king!" is common, and when the monarch dies, there is a seemingly paradoxical yet true expression "The king is dead! Long live the king!" When the king dies, his successor immediately takes over. Even in democratic republics like the USA, there is a peaceful transfer of power when the outgoing president is replaced with the incoming president, which doesn't require the outgoing "king" to die for his (or her) successor to take power. Political discourse can be downright vicious, and it always has been so, but in the end, there is a peaceful transfer of power.

Comments