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.
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.