Album: Night Visions (2003)

The Court's Fool


I'm going to tell you
About the story of a fool
Who met an ironic end
On the way back home
He was a queer fellow
Dressed in many colours
And many were his names
According to the place
He carried a little lute across his back
And a strange hat on his head

Every night he was there
In the court's yard to delight
All the nobles that just called him "The Fool"
But his tongue was a sort of knife
And all his melodies and tales
Re-echoed through the night

Lords of the realm never paid attention
To the words of a poor fool
Or they simply never understood him
He was living on the edge, and maybe
He would end up with a noose around his neck
But something was going to happen that night

[Chorus:]
Every night he was there
In the court's yard to delight
All the nobles that just called him "The Fool"
But his tongue was a sort of knife
And all his melodies and tales
Re-echoed through the night

So that night in the middle of the tale
He pointed at the King and burst out laughing:
A deathlike silence set on the guests!
So the wrathful Master rose to his feet
And chased the Fool out of his yard

But the Fool got near the Lords' table
Drank from Master's goblet and said:
"God save the King!" and broke into a laugh!
Chased out of the Court
The fool took the way back home
But after a while he was seized by a sudden illness and dropped dead
Maybe there wasn't just wine in that goblet

[Chorus]