THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING
including THE RETURN OF THE FIRE WITCH and THE DANCE OF THE PUPPETS
(McDonald, Sinfield)
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,
For the court of the crimson king.
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
To the court of the crimson king.
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
In the court of the crimson king.
On soft grey 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
In the court of the crimson king.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Robert Fripp–guitar
Ian McDonald–reeds, woodwind, vibes, keyboards, mellotron, vocals
Greg Lake–bass guitar, lead vocals
Michael Giles–drums, percussion, vocals
Peter Sinfield–words and illumination
Cover by Barry Godber
Equipment by Vick and Dik
Recorded at Wessex Sound Studios, London
Engineer: Robin Thompson
Assistant Engineer: Tony Page
Produced by King Crimson for EG Productions, ‘David & John’
#InTheCourtOfTheCrimsonKing
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