Emperor's New Gloom

[Intro] Muted fanfare turned static. [Verse 1] Silks sewn from silence cloak the king's thin chest, Court applauds the nothing garbed as best. Mirrors echo praise until a child's cough, Truth walks naked down the aisle and breaks the off-key. [Chorus] Crownless emperor plays the hollow king, Threads of falsehood are all he has to bring. Scream the seam until the court sees through the lie, Children of the gutters watch the monarch cry. [Verse 2] Courtiers learn to praise the absent thread, Lips memorize the script that keeps them fed. But one small voice snaps the ceremonial glare, Strips the stitched illusion to the bone laid bare. [Bridge] Threads spool out beneath the footlights, unraveling the play, A child's small voice sets the palace into fray. [Chorus] Crownless emperor plays the hollow king, Threads of falsehood are all he has to bring. [Final] Silk peels off; the palace laughs — but the laughter soon decays.