Album: Is Nothing Sacred (1986)

As It Was Told


When the walls of the castle come down and the King is nowhere in sight
Take command of the soldiers and be their new leader for the rest of the night
The fortune is there, it's hidden in the dungeon, take what you find
Of the riches, and the knowledge, and the freedom, and leave the rest there, behind
As the battle for your kingdom rages on and on, watch your men as they die
And the slaughter of your people subsides, for there's no one left alive
When the smoke blows away and there's nothing left to say, the dead will arise
And assassinate their leader, who turned and ran away, for leaving them to die

In the palace, on the street, hidden in everyone you meet
Is a hatred or a love, fighting for the domination of the other's defeat
If the hatred wins, the people kill each other in despair
And the essence of the blood of the battle seeps out and fills the air
If the love wins, the hatred conquered, fleeing in exile
And the children run free, for everyone to see, they're pleased for a while
Everybody's sayin' that the way to get to heaven is to be a good boy, now
But the way to get to heaven is a path that's been faded since the day you were born