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Kings Lyrics
Now they lay his body down
Sad old men who run this town
I still recall the way
he led the charge and saved the day
Blue blood and rain
I can hear the bugle playing
[Chorus]
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
While he plundered far and wide,
all his starving children cried.
And though we sung his fame,
we all went hungry just the same.
He meant to shine
to the end of the line
[Chorus]
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
And though we sung his fame,
we all went hungry just the same.
He meant to shine
to the end of the line
[Chorus]
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
Raise up your glass to good King John
Raise up your glass to good King John
Sad old men who run this town
I still recall the way
he led the charge and saved the day
Blue blood and rain
I can hear the bugle playing
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
all his starving children cried.
And though we sung his fame,
we all went hungry just the same.
He meant to shine
to the end of the line
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
we all went hungry just the same.
He meant to shine
to the end of the line
We've seen the last of good King Richard
Ring out the past, his name lives on and on
Roll out the bones, and raise up the pitchers
Raise up your glass to good King John
Raise up your glass to good King John
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The song is about Magna Carta. Richard the Lionhearted was a grand king of England who had total rule. He was succeeded by his younger brother John. John was weak and had to cave in to the English noblemen who wanted to share in the rule of the country. By asserting that the king had less than total rule over his country and all his subjects, Magna Carta became the initial basis for many prinicpals which are now part of what we consider to be basic human rights. Richard was a much more valiant king, but he ruled without regard for the common people. John was a terrible king, but his weakness made his government less despotic.
According to my Dad, on the back of some old copy of Can't Buy a Thrill it said something like "this song is in no way political" as a disclaimer...
According to my Dad, on the back of some old copy of Can't Buy a Thrill it said something like "this song is in no way political" as a disclaimer...
...meaning it obviously is.
...meaning it obviously is.
Well the album does say "No political significance". That said I took a class that briefly mentioned King Richard and some of the rights we have obtained in America as a result you know common law stuff. It was a blurb in the textbook and I watched netflix documentaries that have kind of said that is not accurate, the tyrannical depiction.
Well the album does say "No political significance". That said I took a class that briefly mentioned King Richard and some of the rights we have obtained in America as a result you know common law stuff. It was a blurb in the textbook and I watched netflix documentaries that have kind of said that is not accurate, the tyrannical depiction.
That disclaimer said I basically agree with what you are saying, except the magna carter was good, it's more of a transitional thing you know this king historians said he was good next king historians said he...
That disclaimer said I basically agree with what you are saying, except the magna carter was good, it's more of a transitional thing you know this king historians said he was good next king historians said he was bad.
Raise your glass.
Hope that made sense.
I don't think Richard and John refer to Kennedy and Nixon. I think it's about how we immortalize the memory of our past leaders. History ignores their faults. King Richard is dead. A bunch of guys hang out in the pub/bar and toast the memory of his conquests. However, while he acquired great wealth for the nation, the common people didn't benefit. King John succeeds King Richard, and you can only expect more of the same.
It seems to be the recurring theme of Can't Buy A Thrill: life is a grind and unjust to the point where it seems to be not worth living -- and don't you dare even think that ordinary people can change the way the world works. But since you're alive anyway, you may as well deal with it. Raise up your pitcher to the powers that be because they are the power and you have none. NONE!!!!
That reminds me of a scene from 'Catch 22' with the shameful opportunist. 107 year old italian man who has been a fanatical supporter of Mussolini, the Germans, and then the Americans. Whoever is in power, he is happy to support as long as he stays alive. It's better to live on your feet than die on your knees, not the other way around.
That reminds me of a scene from 'Catch 22' with the shameful opportunist. 107 year old italian man who has been a fanatical supporter of Mussolini, the Germans, and then the Americans. Whoever is in power, he is happy to support as long as he stays alive. It's better to live on your feet than die on your knees, not the other way around.
This song and Steely Dan are both great. It's about the english monarchs, like in Robin Hood. Could it also be about Nixon and Kennedy?
I believe it is both. It plays on the parallel of the names Richard and John. It invokes the Robin Hood-era monarchs, but also offers a nostalgic view of the 1960 US presidential election.
I believe it is both. It plays on the parallel of the names Richard and John. It invokes the Robin Hood-era monarchs, but also offers a nostalgic view of the 1960 US presidential election.
I don't think they liked Nixon all that much. :)
I don't think they liked Nixon all that much. :)
I don't know... Nixon was before my time, but how many people really regard him as a good king?
@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
@Stone Free
@Stone Free
Nixon promised to get us out of Vietnam. Politically, he played both sides, promising the war protesters he would get us out of the conflict, and promising the anti-communists that he would get us out with dignity or victory. It took him a lot longer than the people expected. But he was re-elected on the same promise and by huge margins. A few months after his re-election he declared an end to the conflict and a deal reached at the Paris Peace Accords. About a year and a half later he resigned rather than face impeachment over...
Nixon promised to get us out of Vietnam. Politically, he played both sides, promising the war protesters he would get us out of the conflict, and promising the anti-communists that he would get us out with dignity or victory. It took him a lot longer than the people expected. But he was re-elected on the same promise and by huge margins. A few months after his re-election he declared an end to the conflict and a deal reached at the Paris Peace Accords. About a year and a half later he resigned rather than face impeachment over the Watergate scandal.
Lyrically to me it alludes to the British saying "The King is Dead, Long Live the King" e.g. the previous king died, so praise the new one. Or as The Who sang "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". I imagine the speaker here is involved in some kind of political conversation, after Nixon resigned, and sort of commenting on how we/he went from JFK to Nixon.
The references to blue blood, the bugle playing, the sad old men laying his body down has to be, imo, JFK. These are facts: Blue Blood refers to families of high social rank like the Kennedy clan but also all the high ranking politicians at the funeral. It rained the day of JFK's state funeral. There was a bugler who played Taps. And all the sad old men (be they sad at JFK's death, or as I prefer to think sad in the sense that the speaker sees the people who run the town as pathetic) assembled. The only thing it really says about JFK is how he led the charge and saved the day, I presume to be a reference to sending the ships to intercept in a bold showdown with Russian/Soviet Premier Khrushchev to prevent the USSR's nuclear missiles from being deployed in Cuba. So this verse is lament at his passing and some hero worship.
The next verse is some contrast. It references plundering, and children crying, and even though he was praised they went hungry anyway. The praise could refer to the popular support he had in 1972 election, he won by a very big margin and everyone was very happy when he shortly after declared the end to the Vietnam conflict. The plundering could refer to the slush funds used to re-elect, and/or the allegations of financial impropriety and loans surrounding Nixon. Plundering could also refer to war profiteering. The hungry children, I think, refers to a general dissatisfaction at the lack of social and political progress. American youth during Nixon's terms agitated (starving) for a lot of change that never came, thus, leaving them "hungry" (dissatisfied). He meant to shine to the end of the line, Nixon as a man really wanted to do good for the country, - alas he didn't get to the end of the line he had to resign early, muddied and tarnished.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.
This song is definitely a reference to Nixon and Kennedy. Can't Buy a Thrill (the album from which this comes) came out in October 1972, just before the 72 Presidential Election. Though Nixon would go onto win this election in a landslide, his policies were still in question, especially among the Dan and people like them. The references to "good King Richard" as an able leader refer to the fact that he ended American involvement in Vietnam, a conflict that had been enraging the nation for a decade. Nevertheless, the Dan realized that at the same time, he was ignoring problems at home such as poverty and hunger, which is where the line "And though we sung his fame/ We all went hungry just the same" comes from. The speaker is harkening back to the glory days of what was really the last great president, John F Kennedy. Very cleverly written. One of the Dan's best.
@moodyzeppelin12. No question, moody zep...spot on. it's Nixon. The lyrics drip with irony. Even the guitar lead from 2:15 to 2:25 sounds like a downward death spiral. Brilliant track. Phenomenal writing, playing, and audio craftsmanship.
@moodyzeppelin12. No question, moody zep...spot on. it's Nixon. The lyrics drip with irony. Even the guitar lead from 2:15 to 2:25 sounds like a downward death spiral. Brilliant track. Phenomenal writing, playing, and audio craftsmanship.
Interesting, on the back of the sleeve of my copy of Can't Buy a Thrill, it actually says "no political significance" under Kings on the list, so it's definitely political.
I was never sure if he wasn't referring to Chicago mayor Richard Daley.
Does anyone know what the official story is?
Maybe my favorite Dan song. No, it isn't as epic or experimental as "Aja" -- it's radio-ready soft rock, maybe even a little Laurel Canyon-ish. But between the percussive piano, dramatic background vocals, and amazing fuzz guitar playing, it has a throbbing, manic tension that I can't help but (gently) bang my head to.
As to the meaning: Richard Lionheart might be there in the verses, but I think we all assume that "King Richard" is allegorical.
I'd be surprised if it was directly about Nixon, in the way that Kid Charlemagne is about Bear Stanley. Don't forget that JFK preceded Nixon, with LBJ in between. But perhaps he did inspire it.
Richard Daley, on the other hand, didn't start his six-term run as mayor of Chicago until 1989. I doubt even Fagen is nerdy enough to have written a song about a DNC backroom boy running for Illinois state government. (Robert Hunter, on the other hand...) And when had he "plundered far and wide?"
Anyway, since so much of the song is about the narrator's experience, no one person strikes me as the subject -- his "subjects" are. More than once, we're shown a group of people pretending to praise a ruler who doesn't deserve it. Richard obviously doesn't, because he let people starve. And "Good" King John has only been king for a day, tops.
So I think it's mostly a song that's about how folks are obliged to carry water for a leader or idea that doesn't warrant it, as with groupthink, or the "The Emperor's New Clothes."
Moreover, and I think this is the true point of the song, there's a sense of resignation about all this, like it's just another day at the office. "Roll out the bones!" Wheel that damn corpse out here so we can toast him and go home. These arrows aren't going to fletch themselves. (Or, if you like, "Pick up my guitar and play / Just like yesterday"...)
So, in my view, even if it was about Nixon running for re-election in '72, it's still not so much direct satire as an ode to political malaise.
also, while it's still on my mind, another theory: Imagine that you're Fagen in '72. You consider yourself a beat, but in the music scenes of NYC & LA, you're surrounded by hippies who are anti-Nixon and hoping he'll lose the election. "Kings" is the rebuttal -- in essence, who cares who sits on the throne? You'll still be a serf.
also, while it's still on my mind, another theory: Imagine that you're Fagen in '72. You consider yourself a beat, but in the music scenes of NYC & LA, you're surrounded by hippies who are anti-Nixon and hoping he'll lose the election. "Kings" is the rebuttal -- in essence, who cares who sits on the throne? You'll still be a serf.
@jmc1 ...and I also just read that Nixon was actually named after Richard Lionheart. That cements it being about Nixon for me. But I definitely think this song is, in addition to being a criticism of him, a criticism of the folks who thought a potential defeat of Nixon in '72 would somehow bring about utopia.
@jmc1 ...and I also just read that Nixon was actually named after Richard Lionheart. That cements it being about Nixon for me. But I definitely think this song is, in addition to being a criticism of him, a criticism of the folks who thought a potential defeat of Nixon in '72 would somehow bring about utopia.
And it is hard to see how things would have gone much differently, at least in Vietnam, since the peace accords were signed not long after Nixon's re-election.
And it is hard to see how things would have gone much differently, at least in Vietnam, since the peace accords were signed not long after Nixon's re-election.
I've already written too much about this song, but will also add this: if McGovern is...
I've already written too much about this song, but will also add this: if McGovern is in some sense "Good King John" -- it's interesting to note that he did have a huge part to play in the reforming of the DNC process, and that in 1972 those reforms created seats at the table for the anti-war movement, gay rights' advocates, and others. So maybe it's not fair to compare the US to a monarchy after all.
@jmc1 Richard M Daley was a nobody compared to his father, Richard J Daley. I had originally thought the song was about him, except that his successor was Michael Bilandic (I lived in Chicago in 1977-78). The lyrics certainly match the character of "The Boss" as he was known.
@jmc1 Richard M Daley was a nobody compared to his father, Richard J Daley. I had originally thought the song was about him, except that his successor was Michael Bilandic (I lived in Chicago in 1977-78). The lyrics certainly match the character of "The Boss" as he was known.
Good lyricists, and good artists in general, rarely restrict the meaning of their works. If the literal meaning of this song resonates with other parts of life, then the artists have accomplished their goal. "Kings" tells one story, but the story repeats throughout history in various ways. The song describes a single historical story, but the lessons learned from that story were not learned well enough to keep them from happening again and again.
Here's a more detailed synopsis of the story in the song: "Kings" describes a hypothetical meeting of people toasting the memory of King Richard Coeur de Leon, who died in 1199, as well as the conditions among the common folk at the time. There is a glaring disconnect between the "greatness" in the memory of "good" King Richard and the lot of the impoverished lower classes. It's juxtaposed as an ironic statement, that when we elevate a person such as Richard, we might, knowingly or not, forget or ignore the dark side of their legacy.
He never learned to speak English, though he was born and spent most of his childhood in England. He was regarded by some to be a great king, but of his 9-year reign, he spent less than one year in England. The rest he spent "plunder[ing] far and wide" in the 3rd Crusade, and he spent a few months in captivity.
When they raise a glass to "Good King John," who is remembered as a rather incompetent king, and historians believe he killed Arthur, his young nephew and potential rival to the throne of England, that is another ironic juxtaposition. But there was good in John's reign. He agreed with the barony that the king is also subject to the law (Magna Carta, a concession to get funds for his wars in France), though the gesture has more meaning today than it did during John's reign.
Bottom line: Nobody is all good or all bad. Raise a glass!
Most definately the genius that has been pretty universally accorded Fagan & Becker is displayed in this early example of their work. Like all real artists they both reflect and embody the times in which they lived, crafting a unique popular/rock song with musical sophistication and emotional charge, whilst story telling in often allegory filled poetic verses that subtly bring there message. And bonus: its multi-generational, giving what I believe is testament to mankind - especially our flaws and challenges.
Consider the reference to England's Richard the Lionhearted in juxtaposition to his successor King John who in one felt swoop through weakness was responsible for the Magna Carter (a cornerstone of democracy and human rights). This would be a great accomplishment if it ended right there. But it doesn't. Its easy to see the comparison to other "Kings" with adroit references that conjure up images of John F Kennedy,and settling in on Richard Nixon. Considering the album was released around / just before the 1972 election (which Nixon won in the largest presidential landslide until Regan was elected in 1984), it easily echoes Fagan & Beckers non-conservative leanings and disappointment with leaders like Nixon. Above and beyond, its a lesson / warning to future generations - perhaps even showing them what to watch for.
While often described as sardonic, perhaps sarcastic, dark, laced with drug references and other taboo topics, you really have to marvel at their ability to take a message with multi-generational relevance and present it in a popular song. The icing on the cake is their incredible and fanatical execution, setting them apart from everyone else in the music industry. They set a standard few if any could attain.
This is our Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. And should be taught and referenced and revered just like those masters.