I am a king of honor
Gold and glory
But every king must also die
Have I been just and righteous

What is glory
I know I've torn and taken life
And here I stand
A small and simple man

Who will trade his karma for my kingdom
A sacrificial right to render truth
The fire in my soul rejects my wisdom
'Cause all you do in life comes back to you

I am a king in crisis
Counting minutes
There is an ending to my reign
My sins have come to face me

I can feel it
That I have lived my life in vain
And now I know I'll reap
The seeds I've sown

Who will trade his karma for my kingdom
A sacrificial right to render truth
The fire in my soul rejects my wisdom
'Cause all you do in life comes back to you

Am I mad
I feel so void and cold
Who can tell
Who holds the stories untold

Tired and trembling
I am descending
Will I have to stay here
And live this life again


Lyrics submitted by Fistan, edited by Kuroth

Karma Lyrics as written by Thomas Youngblood Roy S. Khantatat

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Karma song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

12 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    The meaning of this song is a pretty straightforward allegory. The king has spent his life ruthlessly conquering and killing in the name of "honor and glory," and now that he has reached the end of his life, he is finally beginning to ask himself whether he really acted ethically in his life. He realizes that, once all is said and done, he is just another man whose life will be judged on the ultimate merits and ethics of his actions, and not his honor among other men or any other such things of material value.

    It's the story of all who act in the name of honor, glory, god, the master race, etc., who are really acting for their own selfish reasons to achieve carnal satisfaction. In the end, the truth of our actions will come back to haunt us once our temporal achievements have passed away.

    Atreides1701on May 23, 2007   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I am quite confident that this song is based off of Shakespeare's King Richard the Third. The most obvious connection is the line "who will trade his karma for my kingdom," which is similar to the play's most famous line: " horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" Also, King Richard III was supposed to be a small, twisted-looking man, supported by the line in this song: "and here I stand / a small and simple man." Furthermore, King Richard describes himself in this first act as "subtle, false, and treacherous" while reflecting over his plan to murder his brother and the king, so the "karma" in the song is supported by the play.

    NietzschetheNihiliston July 01, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This is such a rocking song!

    I heard this song in an AMV for Bastard, and it was wild.

    I guess the song could be literal, about a real king, but I think it may be about a man who is leary of doing anything for fear that it will come back to him.

    magicmanx9on February 01, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Hey, me alone again.

    My brother and I had a discussion about this song. We're both pretty sure that it's about a King who has either betrayed or been betrayed by his closest friends and knows that his final conflict has come.

    But we both differed on an interpretation of the last verse.

    "Tired, trembling, I am descending..."

    I looked at it as the King being wary and afraid to finally face his friends in combat.

    My brother sees it as tired of their machinations behind his back, and he is trembling with anger, ready to destroy them.

    magicmanx9on March 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I see the lyrics like this: its about a king, who is getting old and can't do nothing about it, he is going to die. So he questions himself if he has done the right things in life.. knowing that he havnt and therefor ask after someone whos wiling to trade his karma for a kingdom... and well that can't be done since karma is a personal thing.

    This makes me thing of American Psycho, because he wants a new inside and Bateman from American Psycho thinks the inside is something that dosnt really matter because you can always get a new.

    So i see this song as a soiciaty criticize. Interpreted as if they say that we should stop trying always to look good in the new clothes and all, and that we should be good people because at the end you can't change that.

    My opinion :)

    Valleon October 22, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Am I alone in being remembered of the Arthurian saga? This song, by a band called "Kamelot" no less...

    To elaborate; one of the legends of Arthur was he was to die on a battlefield, in the moment of his greatest glory. I'm not too sure how legitimate this story is, but it does tie in nicely with the "karma" part doesn't it. I think Arthur did something evil or made a mistake while wielding the blessed sword Excalibur, and as a result was to die; hence the "karma".

    I can't find a version of this legend anywhere though, so don't take what I say too seriously.

    Feytaliston March 17, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's about King Lear.

    Dark Artiston August 21, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well I believe it is about king Arthur just as Feytalist said...as legend says king Arthur had illegitimate son that eventually came seeking throne of Camelot what resulted with war so as song says...

    "my sins have come to face me"

    So by legend of king Arthur those sins could be Arthur's son that eventually gave him fatal wound and from there we can find various different endings, some say Arthur died while some that he survived and stayed on Avalon waiting to return if his kingdom ever needs him again and two last verses say

    "will I have to stay here and live this life again"

    So I would assume Kamelot is following ending that Arthur survived if Karma is about him

    ForgottenSainton September 12, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Actually if it was made before the Black Halo came out, it is about King Arthur, if not, it is about Faust. The entire album "the Black Halo" is about Johanne Wolfgang Gothe's musical (or play, or whatever adaption) "Faust". Faust loses faith in God and starts practicing the dark arts and trusting in Mephistopheles (March of Mephisto) but this sounds like it's about King Arthur

    dhawkon December 30, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The Karma album came out before The Black Halo. I disagree that this song is about King Arthur, though. it seems too vague, to me. i think its just about a king who did some bad stuff in his life, and now he's about to die, and he's wondering if he made the right choices or not.

    Shalinaron October 16, 2008   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.