The Gavel and the Sun

In a tower of glass, in a city of stone A man who was king now stands all alone The jury has spoken, the papers all read Thirty-four whispers of words left unsaid Of ledgers and payments to silence a name A chapter concluded in a long, weary game The gavel comes down with a sharp, wooden crack A path has been chosen, there's no turning back And the old river flows, just as it always has done Beneath the same weary, wandering sun

Some folks build kingdoms, and some watch them fall The storyteller's singing, he's seen it all It's a new coat of paint on a story of old A tale to be bartered, a truth to be sold Down where the border is drawn in the dust A line in the sand, a matter of trust The White House has spoken, a new rule is made To turn back the hopeful, the tired and afraid Two thousand five hundred, a number so neat To measure the shuffle of desperate feet

A promise of refuge now harder to find Leaving the weary and worried behind And the old river flows, just as it always has done Beneath the same weary, wandering sun Some folks build kingdoms, and some watch them fall The storyteller's singing, he's seen it all It's a new coat of paint on a story of old A tale to be bartered, a truth to be sold Now the west wind blows hot, and the sky is ablaze The fields are all thirsty in these fevered days

The mercury's climbing, the rivers run low We argue 'bout seeds that our own fathers did sow From the courtroom to the desert, we're shouting so loud Each one so certain, alone in the crowd And the old river flows, just as it always has done Beneath the same weary, wandering sun Some folks build kingdoms, and some watch them fall The storyteller's singing, he's seen it all It's a new coat of paint on a story of old A tale to be bartered, a truth to be sold