the upright guards with their purple hearts guarding the queen of spades
on the isle of monopoly, they've been calling her queen of fate
along the fence of her courtyard, see her people gather 'round
only to catch a glimpse of her highness in her royal gown
& her circus mirror tells us what we need to know
a ring of smoke is rising up as we buy into the show
the man of beard and sideburns, like moses with his stones
drinks from the old river & eats leftover bones
along the horizon came a hired hurricane
& men of the opposition look into the eye of the rain

touch-me-nots & lilies surround a dying horse
beneath the golden bough, all that is true becoming false
along the river valleys & dead alleys, eager horses wait
patiently, for inevitably, your turn comes in the hands of fate
when the old workhorse is dead & buried in the snow
rain pours down, flowers bloom & grow
still the whip is driven all through night & day
& the horses run about, eat hay, grateful when they get to play
a lifetime long of work & song
we toil with joy & pain
a lifetime long of slavery
to the queen of the pouring rain

the queen sits in her courtyard making up the rules, taking off her shoes
the clowns juggle blindly, entertaining fools, investigating clues
the joker on his bicycle, rattling his bells, balancing well
& the man who lost his wallet, takes his clothes off & sells his soul to hell
& the devil child with a stroke of genius strikes his mother down
the king of ships went sailing once, was lost, was never found
the ailing aisle of wasted smiles is washed up on its shore
king jack & noah with a handshake, seals & settles for
a night of pleasure, a night of pain, a night against the law
noah waits for the queen of hate & treats her like a prostituting whore

she screams like she's been punished in the room of jack the king
she might even enjoy it if jack joined in
the curtains heavy with the burden of not letting light in
the king-sized bed not quite big enough for the violent rocking
& the maid never wanders in without a fair warning
in the purple chambers where the sun sleeps this morning
jack the king, he's lying in a pool of blood, noah hangs in the crowd
she opens her doors to let the flood out, her followers bowed
& while the ocean parts, the common voice of a revolution starts
revenge was always written in the cards
she's always been the queen of spades not hearts.