When I was in high school I had me some rock bands With them 413 DMB boys out in Western Mass My head got as big 'cause my band got around I did the Brooklyn thing too but then I flunked out Now I’m the rock and roll King of Martha’s Vineyard Come see me rockin at the Ritz for all them saints and sinners Now some true blue islanders call me a foreigner But at least I know how to drive thru 5 corners I’m the rock n roll Rei da Ilha by divine right Rock n roll Rick spins my songs at WVVY Yea I’m the rock and roll king of Martha’s Vineyard I never needed no election, I’m the King, I just say the word I'm the Rock and Roll King

I can count all my money on one hand But on the other I got more time than I can spend I’ve always been a lazy ass SOB So step right up and sit down with me I’ve been to Texas where they’re upright and good I did not fit in well in that neighborhood I did all the obvious down in New Orleans And it’s only by the grace of God I can call myself clean Yes I’ve been trailing wreckage from the east to the west North and south and back again They say you take yourself with you wherever you go We’ll someone up there’s watchin and He’s getting quite the show As much as I’d like to be, I ain’t no saint I’ve been blessed with gas but no brakes A got a moral compass and it works just fine Which is how I know I’m lost all the time Even when I’m going in circles Getting them perfect’s always been a hurdle Yes I do a lotta things wrong, but I get two things right: I drink my coffee in the morning and my booze at night Take me to church so I can lift up my heart Every confession is like a bandaid ripped off No I ain’t ungrateful for the messes I’m in Jesus loves us sinners, and he paid for my sins So you gotta say thanks for everything, it’s right and just Even when you’re the one knocked your own dumb ass down on your luck ‘Cause this life is a window looking out on a plain The light refracting through it is just a passing thing Try to hold on and it just dances away Like a little hot number when you got no game As much as I’d like to be, I ain’t no saint I’ve been blessed with gas but no brakes A got a moral compass and it works just fine Which is how I know I’m lost all the time Even when I’m going in circles Getting them perfect’s always been a hurdle Yes I do a lotta things wrong, but I get two things right: I drink my coffee in the morning and my booze at night Take me to church I want to lift up my soul Honky tonk woman love your rock and roll

This ole honky tonk is full of good ole boys, and their stories They all stand for the anthem and take off their hats for old glory And the young guns come for the cheap beer in hope of a fine lass But Billy Budolph’s found nirvana at the bottom of his pint glass He says, “I’ve just been playing defense And making far too much sense Left my heart beating on the back burner Playin it safe on all my wagers” Somebody buy Billy a beer, boy he needs one with a vengeance He’s still on a monologue about everything that he’s questioning Why you always asking questions? Why don’t you know by now? Well, why don’t you why don’t you why don’t you know by now, billy? Why you gotta make it awkward? You really ought know by now So, why don’t you why don’t you why don’t you know by now, billy? The lines are drawn and the music starts for a square dance Arm in arm the ladies lunge for love like they be wielding a knight’s lance “Arise sir knight, and alight with me” so sing the nymphlings Billy Budolph is a-balkin at it all, just a-questioning everything And he says, “I don’t want to be the one to tell you But everything you see here is see-through, me too Neither is this dancing’ everlasting Nor is anything but shadows passin” …somebody buy billy a beer, boy he needs one with a vengeance We know he don’t believe but he’s ripe for divine intervention…(but he keeps questioning) Billy why the willy nilly questions Why don’t you know by now? Well, why don’t you why don’t you why don’t you know by now, billy? Why you gotta make it awkward? You really ought know by now So, why don’t you why don’t you why don’t you know by now, billy?

This bar feels a bit like a battlefield Winners and losers, wounded and maimed Why don’t we just get out of here? I’ll be your broken plans Your friends will understand Take my hand, we’ll get out of here We’ll disappear Into the moonlight Into our true element Over and over again Just say yes Don’t say no ‘Cause when I come calling I don’t want to feel alone I can’t sleep ‘cause I dream these dreams of you and me That make me feel terrified Terrified I wake up in a cold, cold sweat I try to forget every look, every touch, every kiss, every look in your eye I can’t get you out of my mind, of my mind Can’t get you out of my mind Are we there yet? ‘Cause you’ve been riding my chariot Over and over again Just say yes Don’t say no ‘Cause when I come calling I don’t want to feel alone Just say yes

O, don’t you feel dangerous Skirting along this sinister edge? O, to be in love again Staring into her pretty eyes Friend, your job and your savings Your automobile, your concert ticket stubs Your Red Sox hat backwards You know all the right people but you don’t know what to say You get along with all the prisoners but you never feel safe You know all the right people but you suffer like a fool Well you’re the prince of the party now They say you’re still cool This heat can’t be measured by the cup of sweat After all, it’s something you feel La, la, la, la, I think it’s safe to say I told you so You fell in love before, you didn’t fall too far, yea, yea O, to be in love again Well, the roof caved in as you kissed her feet And you waltzed over to the bar You know all the right people but you don’t know what to say You get along with all the prisoners but you never feel safe You know all the right people but you suffer like a fool Well you’re the prince of the party now They say you’re still cool O, to be in love again!

Everybody’s waiting to lock you in a cage, yea Fickle fates to which we are bound, bound Jeez if that’s the spirit, I cannot bear to hear it The priests show off their rags around town, town They pay your sons for labor While they kill your Lord and Savior Bristling at the bricks coming down, down But the building’s built-in downfall Shares a blueprint with the commonwealth The humble must compete with the proud, proud, proud, proud The bar is now closed The trail has gone cold, but it’s under your nose The rainbow of stains upon the Emperor’s Clothes Come hither, young millennials If your trouble is continual And heavy is the cap and the gown, gown And while the love is shriveling That keeps the chaos reeled in I know you know where it can be found, found, found, found The bar is now closed The trail has gone cold, but it’s under your nose The rainbow of stains upon the Emperor’s Clothes Whispers from the water fountain say life reverses frowns Laughter cuts the marionettes from the strings that tie them down Repeat it or refrain it, Defeat or defame it Release or regain it Beat it or bathe it Petticoats of enslavement Familial estrangement Nuclear containment Providential arrangement A lake of fire A bouquet of flowers A form A title Registered and saddle So subtle So flagrant But no one wants to say it! The Emperor’s Clothes! The Emperor’s Clothes! The rainbow of stains upon the Emperor’s Clothes!