[Intro] Mm, yeah… [Verse 1] Shaved head shining in the fluorescent light Staring at a face that don’t look quite right Not marble, not stone — just lumpy and soft And the man in the mirror don’t look like the boss [Verse 2] Started shaving it down when the hairline ran Said I wouldn’t let nobody laugh at the man Thought I looked hard, thought I looked mean Like a London legend on the silver screen Saved the barber’s time, saved the styling cream Built a fortress of pride, solid as it seemed But the years rolled on in with the wine and the steak And the face in the glass started starting to ache Sweat on the forehead, tightness in the chest Everything I built — well it’s all out of rest Calendar’s empty, meetings are lined But I can’t face none of it — I’m losing my mind [Verse 3] Thought I’d cancel it all, take the day for myself Buy a new car, put my pride on the shelf Then I thought of flowers — dinner for two With my wife? With Jenny? Who I never knew? Met her back in my thirties, not my usual kind Not the empty pretty ones I could always find She was sharp and she was Welsh, knew exactly what she wanted We fought like the wind — but the fire slowly haunted Now she don’t argue, she don’t even try I can see in her eyes — she just don’t care why I let her drift, I let her slip away Chasing dinners and drinks and the words people say [Chorus] OH, I’VE BEEN THE KING OF NOTHING AT ALL BUILT A THRONE OF PRIDE AND I WATCHED IT FALL I THOUGHT POWER WAS THE ONLY THING WORTH HOLDING BUT I’M STANDING HERE AND MY HEART’S UNFOLDING THE BIG MAN, THE BOSS, THE ONE WHO NEVER BOWS FINALLY SEEING WHAT I’VE BEEN MISSING ALL THE WHILE YEAH, THE MAN WHO SHOULDERED THE CROWN IS JUST A SOUL WHO’S FINALLY COMING AROUND [Verse 4] Slipped out the lift while the crowd gathered round Nobody noticed the king left the ground Walked the streets where the trees stood tall Couldn’t tell you which was oak, which was birch, which was all Found myself outside a place called Re:A1 A girl in the cold with a flyer in her hand Bunni she said, smiling bright and thin Usually I’d look her up and I’d look her right in But I didn’t feel the hunger, didn’t feel the sway Just asked her straight — do you like working this way? Standing out here in the chill and the breeze Showing some skin just to earn your fees? [Verse 5] She looked at me like I was something new Said it ain’t much choice — it’s the best I can do And I nodded slow and I handed my card Said come Monday morning, it won’t be hard You’ll have a desk, you’ll have a chair of your own You won’t be standing out here in the cold alone Then I said to myself — man you’re overweight Drinking too much, living too late I can’t go in now, I can’t stay here long I think I finally know where I belong Got a wife at home and I’ve been doing her wrong And it’s time — past time — that I went home [Chorus] OH, I’VE BEEN THE KING OF NOTHING AT ALL BUILT A THRONE OF PRIDE AND I WATCHED IT FALL I THOUGHT POWER WAS THE ONLY THING WORTH HOLDING BUT I’M STANDING HERE AND MY HEART’S UNFOLDING THE BIG MAN, THE BOSS, THE ONE WHO NEVER BOWS FINALLY SEEING WHAT I’VE BEEN MISSING ALL THE WHILE YEAH, THE MAN WHO SHOULDERED THE CROWN IS JUST A SOUL WHO’S FINALLY COMING AROUND [Bridge] Pride was my shield, pride was my wall Kept everybody out, kept me ten feet tall But the wall got thin and the paint chipped through And I’m seeing the things that I never knew It ain’t the car, it ain’t the name, it ain’t the chair It’s the hand beside you when the world ain’t fair And I walked right past it for all of these years Now I’m turning around — and I’m facing my fears [Final Chorus] OH, I’VE BEEN THE KING OF NOTHING AT ALL BUILT A THRONE OF PRIDE AND I WATCHED IT FALL I THOUGHT POWER WAS THE ONLY THING WORTH HOLDING BUT I’M STANDING HERE AND MY HEART’S UNFOLDING [Outro] Yeah… finally coming around… Turning my car around… Heading home… To the one I should have found… [Instrumental Outro] Smoky blues guitar bends, muted tremolo, warm room decay, sparse drums, slow instrumental fade
