The King and the Pauper

from Can A Poor Man Get A Fair Trial? by Kyp Harness

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lyrics

The King and the Pauper


There was a king who had everything
Everything except what he truly desired
He could make the evening stars sing
But he couldn’t make them sing in a choir
He had every type of invention and device
To utilize for his pleasure
He had privilege and influence on ice
To toy with at his leisure
He knew the world and his role in it
He had control and he knew what to control with it

The king rode in his carriage down the lane
And came upon a pauper lying there
“I can’t move,” the pauper said “my foot is sprained
Would you kindly go around me if you care?”
The king said “I will not go around”
Told his men to move the pauper off the road
But though all the men bent down
It seemed they just could not get ahold
They couldn’t lift him up
So the king got angry
Said “Get out of the way I’ll do it myself, God help me”

He struggled till his face was red
The pauper just lay there and smiled
“By what magic do you do this?” the king said
“There is no magic,” said the pauper, “you’re a child.”
“I insist you tell me now,” said the king
“Or else I will have you killed.”
The pauper laughed “You can’t do anything
You never did and you never will
I don’t believe in your system
That divides, that excludes
In the name of liberty
And I’ll never move till it ceases to be.”

The king said “I insist you tell me now”
“Alright” the pauper said, and leapt up to his feet
And instructed the king to lie down
As he climbed up to the carriage seat
Up behind the clouds there was a rumbling
As the pauper took up the reins
And drove the carriage round the king
As he made his way from his domain
And the king lying on the ground
Watched as the future of his kingdom unwound.

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from Can A Poor Man Get A Fair Trial?, released November 23, 2021

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Kyp Harness Toronto, Ontario

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