Greg Lake
The Court of the Crimson King
[Verse 1]
The rusted chains of prison moons
Are shattered by the sun
I walk a road, horizons change
The tournament's begun
The purple piper plays his tune
The choir softly sing
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
[Refrain]
For the court of the crimson king, aah
Aah, aah
[Verse 2]
The keeper of the city keys
Put shutters on the dreams
I wait outside the pilgrim's door
With insufficient schemes
The black queen chants the funeral march
The cracked brass bells will ring
To summon back the fire witch
[Refrain]
To the court of the crimson king, aah
Aah, aah
[Instrumental Bridge]
Aah, aah
Aah, aah
[Verse 3]
The gardener plants an evergreen
Whilst trampling on a flower
I chase the wind of a prism ship
To taste the sweet and sour
The pattern juggler lifts his hand
The orchestra begin
As slowly turns the grinding wheel
[Refrain]
In the court of the crimson king, aah
Aah, aah
[Flute Solo: "The Return of the Fire Witch"]
[Verse 4]
On soft gray mornings widows cry
The wise men share a joke
I run to grasp divining signs
To satisfy the hoax
The yellow jester does not play
But gently pulls the strings
And smiles as the puppets dance
[Refrain]
In the court of the crimson king, aah
Aah, aah
Aah, aah
[Instrumental Outro: "The Dance of the Puppets"]