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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 pilgrims' 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
| cactusjo (NZ) | Posted: Apr 11, 2013 - 02:31 winotron wrote: One of my all time favorites. The musicianship in this song, and this band in general, is just amazing. I agree. I love the imagery of the lyrics and the music is way above awesome. Perfect. |
| winotron (Phoenix, AZ) | Posted: Oct 04, 2012 - 14:34 One of my all time favorites. The musicianship in this song, and this band in general, is just amazing. |
| raga (Italy - Como) | Posted: Sep 03, 2012 - 01:33 gonzogumby wrote: is it finally over? luckily not yet Thank you Bill! |
| clwguy | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 16:10 this song would be amazing if it was about 9:25 shorter |
| rp1125 (nola) | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 14:43 i don't know — i think it was a much better song when i was 16 and tripping |
| Gregorama (Austin, TX) | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 14:40 I was in high school when this came out. It fit in with all of the angst of those days. Kind of bittersweet. |
| siandbeth (Santa Cruz California) | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 14:39 Is it 2:30 pm on the west coast? It is! Every day at this time the music slows down right when I need to get some energy. Bill - is it nap time in Paradise? Please rev it back up, I'm struggling here. |
| Mita (Santa Fe, NM) | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 14:36 I got to see King Crimson do this great song live 3 times! Amazing concerts! |
| 4merdj (donde el viento se devuelve) | Posted: Aug 02, 2012 - 14:35 "O.M.G." I am so happily surprised to hear this jewel here. Thanks! "... for the court of the Crimson King-eeeeng-ahhhahhhahh"  |
| Limpopoking (The Parish of St. Alfonzo) | Posted: Jul 02, 2012 - 03:51 I feel so honored to have grown up with music like this... It gave me an unfair music appreciation advantage over those exposed only to the likes of The Osmonds and Leo Sayer  |
| ddrain (Paris, France, + 8 h) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 06:19 You're right, Ian McDonald on flute. i'm very sorry.  rbanfill wrote: There are a lot of Mellotron parts but the flute solo is definitely not one of them... ddrain wrote: Flute solo was played on Mellotron ...  |
| edbollix (Royal Oak, Mi US) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 06:09 What a treat! Lifetime favorite. |
| smackiepipe (Western North Carolina) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 06:03 DeeCee1109 wrote: Epitaph is fantastic! Agreed. It's my personal favorite from this album. |
| DeeCee1109 (People's Republic of A2) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 06:02 drsteevo wrote: Wow, this sounds old.
42 years old. |
| DeeCee1109 (People's Republic of A2) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 06:01 mooblie wrote: Good to hear KC on RP.
Can I suggest you play "Epitaph" one day, Bill? (Are we allowed to make suggestions for the playlist here?) Epitaph is fantastic! |
| drsteevo (Location Location) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 05:58 Wow, this sounds old. |
| smackiepipe (Western North Carolina) | Posted: May 31, 2012 - 05:56 I can't believe I'm hearing this. Love it. |
| rbanfill (Bozeman, MT) | Posted: Apr 29, 2012 - 12:25 There are a lot of Mellotron parts but the flute solo is definitely not one of them... ddrain wrote: Flute solo was played on Mellotron ... |
| mooblie (Oxfordshire, UK) | Posted: Apr 29, 2012 - 12:24 Good to hear KC on RP. Can I suggest you play "Epitaph" one day, Bill? (Are we allowed to make suggestions for the playlist here?) |
| ddrain (France) | Posted: Mar 29, 2012 - 00:41 Blastcat900 wrote: lol... oh god, im old.... hey!!! a flute solo I can play !!!! Flute solo was played on Mellotron ... |
| Bobert_ParkCity (Park City Utah) | Posted: Mar 28, 2012 - 19:01 Heavy metal goes to college. But still lovable anyway - not in the great sense but what a time it was. Days and tunes gone by.... anyone notice - the dude had a tonsillectomy? |
| madirishman (Ellicott City, MD) | Posted: Mar 28, 2012 - 19:01 Oh, yes, by all means, let's retire the old awesome tunes. They're old. And awesome. |
| Far | Posted: Mar 28, 2012 - 18:56 Time for retirement to the deep vault. Great song, simpler era. |
| Blastcat900 | Posted: Mar 28, 2012 - 18:52 lol... oh god, im old.... hey!!! a flute solo I can play !!!! |
| BowTieDad (Stockholm, Sweden) | Posted: Feb 26, 2012 - 02:22  |
| denbear (Denver, Colorado) | Posted: Nov 22, 2011 - 22:16 Just knew he'd follow with Younger Brother. Love all the choral stuff. It's just so damned original. |
| Jelani (Home of the freak, land of the vague) | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 16:00 Damn! I missed it. I dont understand how it is that I've never heard this on here before. |
| musikluvr | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:56 So sleeepy. So very, very sleeepy. |
| gonzogumby | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:48 is it finally over? |
| kingart (Brooklyn NY) | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:47 A classic—but not particularly good. It sometimes was (still is) not hard to confuse Emerson Lake & Palmer with Yes with King Crimson with Mott the Hoople with...whomever else. All these prog rock jam bands spanned crap to gold. Shit makes me feel old, but I did enjoy listening to some of it back then. I can live without it now, tho. |
| Gerbear (Tsawwassen BC) | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:46 Pompous claptrap - Spinal Tap did it better. |
| mcYammer (Beervana) | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:41 Mita wrote: More Crimson King! Starless and Bible Black! That one will end my speakers but would be worth the trip... |
| mcYammer (Beervana) | Posted: Sep 20, 2011 - 15:41 Proggers Unite! My exposure to Frippertronics: Epic fantasies overly entertained for the unassuming tweenie Dungeon Master |
| LowPhreak (United Corporate States of Neo-Feudal Amurika, Inc.) | Posted: Aug 20, 2011 - 07:37 rlr511 wrote: man, this sucks ...or not. |
| ianmoff (Nr London UK) | Posted: Aug 20, 2011 - 07:34 Sasha2001 wrote: So much of classic rock is about influence and timing; KC obviously had both. They still do  |
| rlr511 (Philadelphia) | Posted: Aug 20, 2011 - 07:34 no seriously, MAKE IT GO AWAY! |
| rlr511 (Philadelphia) | Posted: Aug 20, 2011 - 07:30 man, this sucks |
| Sasha2001 (Where the last of the union men run free) | Posted: Jun 18, 2011 - 06:38 Businessgypsy wrote:  Dean Venture: "Hey, what's this one with the face?" Rusty Venture: "Oh! That! No, no, no, you're not ready to step into The Court of the Crimson King. At this stage in your training an album like that could turn you into an evil scientist." First thing I thought of. Best show on television. Makes me actually want to go to Comicon just to meet the creators. |
| Mita | Posted: Jun 18, 2011 - 06:32 More Crimson King! Starless and Bible Black! |
| run4more (The cave) | Posted: May 17, 2011 - 16:11 I got good use out of the prog rock albums I had back in the day (including one King Crimson) but never had an inclination to expand the collection—unless someone really worked hard to convince me. Exposes me as a bit shallow I'm sure but I just wanted to straight-up rock n' roll. This sounds like one I could have really enjoyed if someone had fired one up and made me sit and listen. |
| Businessgypsy (Deepest, Darkest Florida) | Posted: May 17, 2011 - 16:00 Dean Venture: "Hey, what's this one with the face?" Rusty Venture: "Oh! That! No, no, no, you're not ready to step into The Court of the Crimson King. At this stage in your training an album like that could turn you into an evil scientist." |
| Bat (Austin) | Posted: May 17, 2011 - 15:55 govna wrote: awesome, I LOVE spinal tap! I needed a good laugh today and that did it! |
| teapot (in orbit) | Posted: May 17, 2011 - 15:54 This is awful crap. |
| Bleyfusz | Posted: Apr 16, 2011 - 02:27  On_The_Beach wrote:  |
| Propayne (Richmond VA) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 16:59 I revere it. |
| sfearll (Sunny SoCal) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 15:12 I know I'm supposed to revere this, being a child of the 60s/70s... but no sir, I just don't like it.  |
| On_The_Beach (Vancouver BC, Bud) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 15:12 Their material has aged the best of all the prog-rockers, IMO. Everything up to "Red" was excellent. |
| scooterdog (Twin Falls, Idaho) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 15:11 I have the DVD Audio 5.1 version of this remixed by Mr. Steven Wilson.... Outstanding considering how old this is. |
| govna (beantown) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 15:10 awesome, I LOVE spinal tap! |
| mandolin (...drifting...) | Posted: Mar 15, 2011 - 15:08 ...hey, pattern jugglers, revelation space, anyone else notice?..admittedly, alastair reynolds' books came along fourty years later, but i'm reading through the series right now and can't help but wonder if this song played inspiration... |