Query about the song "King Of The World"

I have always wondered this. Is it just me or has there been a large influx of SFANW questions lately? (not that this is a bad thing)

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did he "Stab" someone?

hehe

sorry

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It's always struck me as very religious and I wind up connecting him with Jesus/God.

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I always connected it in a religious sense as well!

"thank god" haha get it? sorry...its just one of those days

Once upon a time I had tides to control
I had moons to spin
And stars to ignite
And they threw flowers at my feet
When I walked through the town

Once upon a time I had lives to protect
I had rules to change
And wrongs to set right
And there were people at my side
And there were rivers I could guide
I wanted nothing in return

Let me out of here
Give me back all my dreams
Let me out of here
Let please see the sun
Let me out of here
At least tell me what I did wrong

I'm king of the world
Chief of the sea
I am the wind
At least I used to be
And I'm king of the world
Please set me free
Let me remind them of my promise
Live my given destiny

Once upon a time I had fate in my hands
And the confidence of a million regimes
And they said, "Brother, you're in charge
We'll follow anything you say"

Once upon a time Father said to me,
"Child you are everything
That you see in your dreams"
And I thought, Jesus, that's the key
There are no walls surrounding me
There are no prisons in this life

Let me out of here
Give me back to the wind
Let me out of here
Let me please see my son
Let me out of here
Don't you understand who I am?

I'm king of the world
Chief of the sea
I am the wind
At least I try to be
And I'm king of the world
Please set me free
I had the power and the promise
Give me back my family

Why are we punished for wanting to explore?
Why am I sitting in this cell?
I was not challenging the system
I was working for the people
I just wanted to be better

Why are we punished for wanting to survive?
Why am I locked behind these bars?
Tell the children I'll return to them
Tell them...
Someone let them know I will be free

I will not be defeated
I will stand like a mountain
And the road will stretch before me
And they'll know it's time to follow

And we'll lift our eyes
And raise our heads
And face the sun
And tell the future
I'm king of the world
Land of the free
High in the sky
The best that I can be
And I'm king of the world
Watch and you'll see
Nothing can stop me from tomorrow,
Keep me from my destiny

I'm king of the world
At least I used to be

Partly because the song comes after Christmas Lullabye and Surabaya Santa I always thought the man was God, about how people have lost their faith in God (hence the prison) and he wants to turn people back to Him (the let me see my son, give me back my family lines) -- though the line about "Once upon a time Father said to me" kind of destroys that theory. He can't be Jesus because, well, he says "And I thought, Jesus, that's the key" - and that makes no sense.

I've always loved this song but it is kind of frustrating not knowing what it really is supposed to be!

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Its interesting that so many of you take a religious interpretation when JRB is not so big on faith himself.


Really? On his "Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" cd, there are a few songs about God or have very strong religious themes.

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Yeah there is a story behind that actually. "Music of Heaven" was written as a response to when he was a rehearsal pianist for Broadway Inspirational Voices. He didnt get the spiritual connection that so many in the choir had and I believe it inspired him to write that song. I love the lyric. Have a read over and you will see what I mean. Esp "A classic New Yorker alone among millions, cynical, cold". This was written a while after Songs for a New World if I understand things correctly.

I didnt mean to imply by my initial post an intimate knowledge of the composers personal beliefs. Just from interviews and concerts etc and the general tone of his work, thats the general impression I get.

As an atheist Scot I am always struck by how deep and central faith is across the atlantic. I have relatives in your parts and the contrast between that branch of the family and the rest of us is quite drastic! Also whenever I am in NY I notice how often playbill bios make reference to faith. Not something you find in London. Please understand I am not making a comment beyond the fact that its a clear divergence of majority attitudes in the USA and UK. How it is then reflected in music and the arts fascinates me (Politics drives me crazy so we will stay well away from that LOL!)

Updated On: 5/7/06 at 08:19 PM

Didnt he write "Coming Together" as a response to 9/11?

Yeah i get that faith and spirituality don't have to be about religion. I still find it fascinating that even amongst the general cynicism there is room for spirituality. Thats quite reassuring almost.

I will be the one to send most of you to www.jasonrobertbrown.com go to his weblogs and most of these questions are answered by the man himself...rather than our own opinions!

Hope it helps!

actually workmansart forming our own opinions seems to be what JRB wants. Clearly King of the World can be about anything we want. I mean obviously the lyrics and music are clues to emotional state and circumstance, but I think all of this stuff is open to opinion.