I Knew the King

Well, I met with the king on Saturday
And he said there'll be no more charity for the children
It came to me as quite a shock I must say
I was hoping he could hold out a little longer
But he had his eyes made up and he was sure as any

So I offered him my hand and just that
I had no ring or crown, but I had ten sticks to lick
He laughed at me and asked
What could I do with those
I did not take any offense but I scared him instead
I said,
You'll see if you give me a shot
And if you don't, you may come to regret it
He said I think I'm going to like you

We got on well, the king and I
I played the guitar and he smiled when he really liked one
We figured on the state and nation
We talked all night long into the cold early day
And in the small side room off the kitchen
He offered me the crown
He said I'm tired would you mind terribly
Taking over for a little while

Now anyone might have been very pleased
But I asked him to his face
Will you take it away
Will you just come by one afternoon
Sneak in to my closet
And take that thing back
Because I can already tell you're unsure
And I already know I'd grow quite accustom
To the comfort and the quill
So better to let me know early than late

He didn't say nothing
He looked a little weak
Like he might fall or something
So I didn't keep up with the conversation
I figured he needed his rest more than my questions
Maybe the drink got to him I thought
I don't know what came over me but I took the crown
Just put it in my pack and walked out

The very next day I tried to trade the thing
The pawn man just nodded his head
It's a fake, this cannot be the real deal
I will not argue with you man
But you may come to regret it I said
I tried my tricks but he had his eyes made up
So I shuffled out the door with my guitar in one hand
And the kingdom in the other

Next morning I woke up with a back ache
The thing kept me tossing all night
I started getting a little nervous
Started to get a little scared myself
But when my old friend showed up at the door
Asking for a coffee and a smoke
I knew we were alright and that
He understood what I was all about
Eventually, I got him to change his mind about the charity
He never offered the crown again
And that made me very happy