The Jester [25th Anniversary]

I look upon the tombstone beside the castle gate I think of all the times we laughed and realize it's much too late For many years not a soul dare enter the god-forsaken hall Where you can find the fingerprints in blood upon the wall Spread across the wall Through our tears of sorrow Our lips held fading smiles The children are laughing now Stealing tears from his cries I'm trying hard to understand Making sense of what I can Yeah I'm trying hard to understand Why the jester oh Well he met with a stoning Now he was caught upon the throne pretending to be the king Well the knights and servants wouldn't laugh at such a wretched thing no no Well rumors swept across the land of the jester's harmless crime No one saw the humor at all cuz they were blinded by hard times There were hard times Through our tears of sorrow Our lips held fading smiles The children are laughing now Stealing tears from his cries And I'm trying hard to understand Making sense of what I can I'm trying hard to understand Why the jester oh Well he met with a stoning The jester met with a stoning Now famine's turned to feast again we prosper more every day But everyone remembers the lives we lost along the way yeah yeah And you can find me by the tombstone beside the castle gate I'm sitting there thinking 'bout the times we laughed realizing it's much too late Yeah it's much too late Through our tears of sorrow Our lips held fading smiles The children are laughing now Stealing tears from his cries