Vengeance of the Rat King by English Minor published on 2021-12-07T01:22:42Z “Vengeance of the Rat King” Tragedy when party’s over All your friends are short long-goners Memories of camaraderie have flip-flopped, turned and now are soured Like the hope that once did dope you Some half-baked, du jour worldview That was your highbrow breakthrough —With inside jokes and ego strokes and grandiose retorts The party’s over Nothing to see here Just a stopover . . . to the future! What’s that scurrying in the wainscoting? Must be the Rat King! Who’s that wheeling on a head of cheese? That must be him! The one to incite all the mice The one to knight the pawns The one whose bite has a devastating price The one whose nails are always drawn —And he has come for you, dear! Who’s that handing out the rotted cheese? Of course it’s the Rat King! Who’s that riling up the young mice-ees? (That’s him, too!) He’s got no scruples ‘bout beguiling young dupils He’s got a flexible spine He’s got no thought but to choke you with his garrote He’s got a steely twine —And he has come for you, dear! The carpet of mice ripples as they wriggle Erecting with their bodies a pelt dais Shocked, you scramble up upon your table To hear the raised Rat King launch his dispraise His topic is the failings of your being His words hurt, but there shall be no appealing For now the mice are on the dash for vengeance As one the mischief rises like a god’s hand And strikes with bites of wrath which is your sentence As with your tongue are you gagged And then they scurry sated back to their holes Back to their holes Tragedy when party’s over All your friends are short long-goners Memories of wrathful feasts that never ceased have now turned bitter Like the joke that now has laughed you From the clique-clack of the who’s who To the oblivion of your fall-through Shamed and shunned and smeared and jeered and devoured full alive - - - Music by Corey Ball Lyrics by August Lysy Mastered by Spencer Martin Genre Musical Comment by English Minor @plastic-flower: Thank you so much! That's really a great compliment and we will surely take it. Music ought to do more than we allow it to. :) 2022-11-19T02:42:26Z Comment by Clay Young Bigfoot likes rat king 2022-04-06T14:46:31Z Comment by Dom Torregrossa Seems like you cant get more ironic or learn about you guys than by reading your explanation about why you couldnt write it. Im still cracking up. Reminds me of early floyd or zappa when he still had the mothers.... and ready to be a musical 2022-03-08T23:17:07Z Comment by CW Mullins Sparks! Not a copy at all but some of that cool quirkiness 😸 2022-03-07T00:47:26Z Comment by Patrick Donahue Unique and clever song! 2022-02-27T15:19:57Z Comment by Falsestart Very unique vocal delivery and great arrangement. Im a getting a bit of Roger Waters influence. Great work 2022-02-25T22:48:35Z Comment by Rick Jangle Incredible songwriting. I wouldn’t say it draws the listener in, rather it grabs the listener by the throat! Brilliant work. 2022-02-25T11:37:53Z Comment by Pa' Shot The Canary love this, great lyrics, splendiferous idea for a song. 2022-02-24T09:57:04Z Comment by Jonathon Strauss Brenner I'm waiting for the musical production! 2022-02-22T18:01:16Z Comment by Steve Low First time I've seen Wainscoting in a lyric - this could be about Boris J; excellent use of our furry friends as the meatphor 2022-02-06T00:42:29Z Comment by Swivelable Masterful storytelling musically and lyrically 2022-01-23T19:34:12Z Comment by Francois Cormier What a perfect song for the looming holi-dais... Possibly the best untold tale of the Nutcracker I have ever heard, picking up right after the happy end -- when the fantasy of holidays cannot help but end and the avoided reality veers in again full-bore 2021-12-19T16:30:57Z Comment by Francois Cormier love the "rrrrrrrrrrs"!!!!!!! 2021-12-19T16:21:06Z Comment by Jeff Roberts you guys are in fine form here! a masterpiece of patter song (and that beautiful hiatus at :27) , the deliberate thwarting of rhyme expectations (that's him too) 2021-12-17T02:15:56Z Comment by David Husted Music fantastic, fun journey...creative and surprising...well done 2021-12-17T01:34:22Z Comment by Negative Headphone Excellent song! Great stuff! 2021-12-13T11:39:58Z Comment by TheGat(s) Sounding more like English major….what a great classic musical vibe 2021-12-12T16:10:31Z Comment by Terry Wigmore so elegantly crafted, articulated and delivered! Don't know how you perform these, but it is so quirkily enchanting! :) 2021-12-12T16:07:08Z Comment by Baji Haha very nice 2021-12-11T13:43:51Z Comment by Christopher Joseph Wallace Fabulous! 2021-12-09T18:29:43Z Comment by Jonathan Beckenstein So often, and perhaps here more than ever, you put me in mind of favorite artists and favorite works, all of which made me wierd and unpopular as a kid. Somehow to the top of my mind floats Orchestra Luna. You sound absilutely nothing like them, but you draw from a similar well. 2021-12-08T13:29:00Z Comment by winkandwoo liking the tongue in cheek vibe lads , original and a hint of sparks maybe ? 2021-12-07T12:34:04Z