Intro:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Verse One:
I have always been the one to corronate the king
To put him on his throne and in charge of everything
He said he’ll always rule the court benevolently
He said he’ll overlook my flaws
Hallelujah

Verse Two:
The king’s command is just as he rules over the land
From me he asks one simple thing: that I would choose to stand
For he has heard it from the Lord that we must all defend
Never to withdrawl
Hallelujah

Verse Three:
He told us of the outside world where heathens did abound
They celebrated sin, yes, we were told so by the crown
They were doomed to damnation, should not have them around
They might corrupt us all
Hallelujah

Verse Four:
We stood and watched the heathens from the towers of the gate
We know they’ll try to break it down, one day they’ll penetrate
So we cannot sit back and watch lest it become too late
It was a rally call
Hallelujah

Verse Five:
We had to win some converts by an edict of the court
So grab your swords and muskets, boys, we’re riding with the Lord
If they refuse our gift of love, we’ll rend them with the sword
Love at the end of a gun
Hallelujah

Verse Six:
One by one they turned us down and so we ran them through
Sent them to the damnation that they were destined to
We just followed orders, did what we were asked to do
For the King has the ear of God
Hallelujah

Verse Seven:
As I watched the last of them be rolled into their graves
I stood upon this land of theirs, that for the king we’d claimed
And I began to wonder: did we need it anyway?
Was I proud of what I’d done?
Hallelujah

Verse Eight:
So I sought an audience with his majesty
That he would dain to entertain a lowly serf like me
I watched his face tighten as I sought for clarity
Then he stood up tall
Hallelujah

Verse Nine:
He straightened out his arm and threw his finger in my face
He declared disloyalty and labelled me disgrace
The rhetoric of brotherhood has fallen by the way
Execution for treason
Hallelujah

Verse Ten:
And as I stood before the Lord and maker of us all
There was such sadness in his eyes for all the pain I caused
He said his heart breaks for me, too, because I chose him not
How could I be so wrong?
Hallelujah

Verse Eleven:
Now as the darkness covers me and as I fade away
For my brothers and my sisters in the kingdom I do pray
The king knows nothing of the Lord, we’ve all been led astray
The King, he is a fraud
The state, it is his god
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Backstory

I was inspired by the religious love some people have for their political leaders while listening to The Ballad of Hollis Brown by Bob Dylan. I think when we try to marry the church and the state it more often than not leads to the state getting priority. It’s good to take your civic duties seriously and to vote for policies that align with your faith, beliefs, and worldview. But the State makes a terrible God.

Song Info

Author: Conrad MacIntyre
Feel: Folk Ballad
Tempo: 104bpm
Key: D Major
Time: 4/4