The Duke and the Duchess

Lyrics

Now, gather 'round and sit right down Let me sing my song I'll tell you a little story It won't take very long It happened far away from here I don't know when it began But it was back when there were kings and queens And castles in the land Now, there lived a duke and a duchess In all they had no lack From the food upon their tables To the satin on their backs They feasted friends at parties Lived a life of ease Sang and danced the time away And did the things they pleased But all around the castle walls The people of the land Were cryin' out in poverty For just a helpin' hand With rags around their shoulders Rags around their feet Askin' once before they died Just to have enough to eat The king he was a righteous man And when he heard this news He sent his servant to the duke To warn him of the dues Of disobeyin' the laws He'd enacted for the poor But the duke and duchess laughed at him And threw him out the door The king he rose in anger He armed his troops for war He laid siege to their castle And battered down the door He killed the ones who resisted him And the rest were left to stand Or fall upon the mercy Of the people of the land From Miami to Seattle Everyone can eat his fill From L.A. up to Boston They're dressin' fit to kill The walls are made of money now And armies guard the door And e still ignore the warnings While we grab for more and more And all around the castle walls The starving millions stand They cry out for a piece of bread And die with empty hands While the people at the party Keep pretending no one's there But high above the King of Kings Hears every little prayer His judgement hasn't fallen yet But there's not a day to spare The storm's already gathering The tension's in the air There's no time for excuses Barely time to turn around And beg the Lord's forgiveness With our knees upon the ground And now my story's over The time for deeds is here We can serve the Lord for love Or we can serve the Lord for fear But refusin' his command Is not a choice we ought to bear While the people Jesus died to save Die when we don't care