[Verse] Come and meet the jester king, velvet coat and broken ring, Serving soup in silver boots while choirs laugh and kettles sing. He poured tea into the moat, then declared the ducks could vote, Wrote a law on pastry crust and made the scribes all learn it by rote. Oh, sweet mortal, mind your step, he adores a tangled head, Offers cake with smiling eyes, then swaps your floorboards for a bed. Met him dancing near the stair, stuffing roses in a bear, Mumbled to the moon at noon and braided lightning through his hair. [Pre-Chorus] The room tilts left, the walls breathe right, He calls it day in the dead of night. A fiddle screams, a chapel sways, And somehow that’s just how he prays. [Chorus] Bells in the attic, crows in the wine, Everything’s wrong and he says that is fine. Hands to the ceiling, grin nice and wide, Bow to the lord of the fractured tide. Laugh if you get it, cry if you don’t, He’ll turn your yes into maybe or won’t. Round and around as the grand wheels spin, Long live the duke with the storm tucked in. [Verse] He built a courtroom out of jam, named a goat his right-hand ram, Told the jury, “Truth is lovely, but today we’re judging ham.” Candles dripping violet tears, music crawling through your ears, Every tick of every clock sounds like six and seven years. He can make a banquet rot, then serve dessert still blistering hot, Turn a saint into a fool and make the fool forget he’s not. Take your name and twist it twice, hand it back like loaded dice, Then applaud when you object as if confusion were a vice. [Pre-Chorus] The floorboards sing with bitten glee, The portraits wink and disagree. You try to leave, the doorway grins, The feast begins beneath your skin. [Chorus] Bells in the attic, crows in the wine, Everything’s wrong and he says that is fine. Hands to the ceiling, grin nice and wide, Bow to the lord of the fractured tide. Laugh if you get it, cry if you don’t, He’ll turn your yes into maybe or won’t. Round and around as the grand wheels spin, Long live the duke with the storm tucked in. [Bridge] Hear the silver spoons all rattle, Every banquet ends in battle. Hear the silk and velvet scatter, Nothing holy seems to matter. Hear the jesters stomp the plaster, Nearer now and quicker after. Hear the rafters start to shiver, Marrow cold and knees all quiver. Hear the muttering in the dishes, Hear the priests forget their wishes. Hear the courtiers choke on praise, Lost inside his painted maze. Nearer comes the rolling laughter, Harder now and quicker after. Step by step and stair by stair, He is already everywhere. [Chorus] Bells in the attic, crows in the wine, Everything’s wrong and he says that is fine. Hands to the ceiling, grin nice and wide, Bow to the lord of the fractured tide. Feast in the frenzy, dance in the din, He’ll split the room with a violin grin. Round and around till the whole world bends, Long live the madness that never quite ends. [Outro] So raise your cup if your reason slipped, If the map went bad and the hinges ripped. He’ll kiss your brow, then wreck your plans, And leave you praising him with shaking hands.
