Great King Rat Lyrics
Born on the twenty first of May
Died syphilis forty four on his birthday
Every second word he swore
Yes he was a son of a whore
Always wanted by the law
Wouldn't you like to know people?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you?
Would you like to see?
Where will I be tomorrow?
Will I beggar? Will I borrow?
I don't care, I don't care anyway
Come on, come on, the time is right
The man is evil and that is right
I told you ah yes I told you
And that's no lie, oh no no
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you?
Would you like to see?
Show me
Wouldn't you like to know?
Wouldn't you like to know people, people?
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you?
Would you like to see?
Put out the good and keep the bad
Don't believe all you read in the Bible
You sinners, get in line
Saints, you leave far behind
Very soon you're gonna be his disciple
Not a word, not a word mama says
Or else you'll find yourself being the rival
Sure, the great Lord before he died
Knelt sinners by his side
And said you're going to realise tomorrow, oh woah oh woah oh woah
What you already know
'Cause time and time again
The old man said it all a long time ago
Come on, come on, the time is right
The evil men will fight
I told you once before
No
Wouldn't you like to know?
Just like I said before
Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
The last time I tell you
Would you like to see?
Pippin the Mercury...when Freddie says, "don't believe everything you read in the Bible", no truer words have ever been written about the Bible...why? Because it was written by men and men are not perfect. God's "words" can be found inside everyone, if you look hard enough, not just words in a book.
If you are a Bible reader("offended christian"), do you not remember when God told Moses not to use cutting tools on the altar for God? Why? Because it was to be known as "God's Alter" and anything known as God's cannot be touched by man's tools...that includes writing tools. People who LIE and title the Bible "God's Word" are insulting God's perfection.
The reason preachers and religious leaders brainwash their followers to believe God's word is whatever particular version of canon(insert any religion's handbook) is so their rules aren't questioned...it's a control tactic that's been used dating back to the era of the first recorded language. Look it up.
Freddie obviously believes there is a God at this point in his life, but is unsure what to believe. Fortunately, he knows enough not to believe EVERYTHING he reads...you live, you learn...research helps.
Faith=ignorance+laziness
"Don't listen to what mama says" is probably because "moma" is still clinging to what her pastor tells her...like a good little sheep...
Truth hurts,"in the beginning"(Genesis 1:1), until you can "put away childish things"(1 Corinthians 13:11)...like old "Jewish myths"(Titus 1:14)...unless you ENJOY being made a spectacle of(1 Corinthians 4:9).
That's what Freddie meant when he wrote "Or else you'll find yourself, bein' a rival".
@spicyflo OOOOPS you have made a tiny little error that deflates your whole argument....yes, I agree with you the Bible is written by men, and one more critical aspect to consider. "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Read the book 2Peter to discover this verse in context. The whole of the Bible is either from God or it isn't. Read it for yourself and then decide....
@spicyflo OOOOPS you have made a tiny little error that deflates your whole argument....yes, I agree with you the Bible is written by men, and one more critical aspect to consider. "But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Read the book 2Peter to discover this verse in context. The whole of the Bible is either from God or it isn't. Read it for yourself and then decide.
@spicyflo \r\nI understand your misgivings about religious things, but it\'s not the Bible that is false but rather men claiming to represent it and mislead people with their own thoughts and ideas, consider...\r\nIf men uninspired wrote the Bible how did they know that the best day to circumcise an infant was the eighth day when the body is at its peak ability for blood coagulation? Lucky guess?\r\nOr that at Isa 40:22 it says the earth is round when it was generally believed the earth was flat at that time around 800 BCE?\r\nOr that at Job 26:7, where it says the...
@spicyflo \r\nI understand your misgivings about religious things, but it\'s not the Bible that is false but rather men claiming to represent it and mislead people with their own thoughts and ideas, consider...\r\nIf men uninspired wrote the Bible how did they know that the best day to circumcise an infant was the eighth day when the body is at its peak ability for blood coagulation? Lucky guess?\r\nOr that at Isa 40:22 it says the earth is round when it was generally believed the earth was flat at that time around 800 BCE?\r\nOr that at Job 26:7, where it says the earth is suspended upon nothing when even centuries after that was written men believed the earth to be resting on a giant turtle?\r\nThe real formula for faith is found at Hebrews 11:1 where it shows true faith is supported by evidence like the same evidence that assures you the sun will rise tomorrow though no one has seen tomorrow yet. There is plenty more evidence including accurate history, fulfilled prophecy, internal harmony as well as harmony with proven science. If you want to challenge this goto JW.org and search Bible accuracy. \r\n
This first album took me quite a while to come around to, but i love it now, not that its my favorite, but this song is up there with some of my favorites, it seems to be about some power being revealed as 'evil' perhaps the devil, or 'Angra(of Zoroastrianism)'.
@Italian Phaethon Yes exactly, many Queen songs have a message of the battle between good and evil, and this song shows the audacity of evil to claim he (Great King Rat) will win....evil ALWAYS LIES, so the opposite is true.
@Italian Phaethon Yes exactly, many Queen songs have a message of the battle between good and evil, and this song shows the audacity of evil to claim he (Great King Rat) will win....evil ALWAYS LIES, so the opposite is true.
This song is epic, didn't really like it at first until I listened to it over and over. Genius lyrics, really makes you think about yourself. Talk about a message in the music. Strange that Freddie did die around 44 from a similar fate. Looking back too many of his songs lyrics were so prophetic to be coincidental. Absolutely love Queen, their intellect matched their talent, no other group like them.
@Queenforever13 I agree, very prophetic and epic song- like the battle between good and evil which is hinted at in a few of their songs...like Bohemian Rhapsody and Liar. So I think for Freddie to have ended his life recording a song like "My Life Has Been Saved" is very interesting indeed. Lyrics are "Oh Lord, I thank the Lord above, My life has been saved." Saved from the influence of those like Great King Rat? Surrendering to the Lord to be saved? So interesting!!!!!!
@Queenforever13 I agree, very prophetic and epic song- like the battle between good and evil which is hinted at in a few of their songs...like Bohemian Rhapsody and Liar. So I think for Freddie to have ended his life recording a song like "My Life Has Been Saved" is very interesting indeed. Lyrics are "Oh Lord, I thank the Lord above, My life has been saved." Saved from the influence of those like Great King Rat? Surrendering to the Lord to be saved? So interesting!!!!!!
I don't believe this is metaphor at all. The King Rats are one year tenure leaders of the Grand Order of Water Rats, which is a charity group of theatre people, and I believe the lyrics refer to one of these who is obviously not named for legal reasons. There is a list of them on some websites with the years they were "king" for. All you need to do is go through these...
@rocker115 Holy shit. I came here because I worked this out and was going to shae that it was George Martin, King Rat of 1971 when Freddie wrote the song, and why... It has to do with comments John Lennon made about George "the 5th beatle" Martin in an interview...It's all in George's Wiki article, you just need to look at the time Freddie would have been paying attention...
@rocker115 Holy shit. I came here because I worked this out and was going to shae that it was George Martin, King Rat of 1971 when Freddie wrote the song, and why... It has to do with comments John Lennon made about George "the 5th beatle" Martin in an interview...It's all in George's Wiki article, you just need to look at the time Freddie would have been paying attention...
@michaelnyx - one fact - George Martin died 1991 at the age 69 as a complication after suffering stroke. So its not the name.
@michaelnyx - one fact - George Martin died 1991 at the age 69 as a complication after suffering stroke. So its not the name.
Welladay, i didnt find (in my sources) anybody who died at 44 on syphilis and was a Great King Rat.
Welladay, i didnt find (in my sources) anybody who died at 44 on syphilis and was a Great King Rat.
When you really love an artist, you pay them the most respect by listening to all their albums. This day and age, its very hard to find such artists. I'm so happy to have found an artist that I could apply this ideal to.
This song was the first to really catch my attention after listening to "Keep Yourself Alive", and "Doing All Right". Those were great, relatable with enduring of life, but for the year it was released, 1973, this was a time period where everyone believed in a religion, and he's boldly questioning it.
this is all just speculation
Its starts off with some tale, "The Great King Rat", like a fairy tale we heard as children. Though he has the title of king and has the adjective Great, the tale speaks nothing but ill of him. Now, It sounds as if there is 2 people talking, one being a strong believer since he's preaching, and the other being the ignorant. Ignorant because of the line, "Show me", indicating the preacher is trying to convince someone. Considering they said he was always wanted by the law and always swearing, Its not far fetched to assume they're talking about someone viewed as a criminal. Mind you, there was no such thing as 'serial killers' till 1981, so people already had harsh views on criminals who'd committed lesser crimes. There was nothing but TV, so people would believe everything they heard. Now, I want to talk about the "rat". A rat is found highly disgusting by most likely carries diseases from living in filth. A squirrel is found very cute and nature friendly because its found by trees and sunshine, yet carries the same level of diseases. How different would you think of the first chorus if it began as Great King Squirrel instead of Rat. This use of irony in just the name indicates so much on how our society revolves around people's perceptions. For him to put this as his first song in bands first album shows how much hes buttering us up for more. All of these things still apply today.
You know what they say, the past is just the future with the lights on.
Great King Rat is Freddy's all powerful alter ego. Freddy's early background; staid and conforming towards societal norms was entirely at odds with his talent, his ambition and his sexil apetite. He projected the undesirable parts of his personality onto a theatrical character that was the antithesis of his upbringing, the Great King Rat. The name originates from a spell binding but eerily chilling song by Audience called House on the Hill..where " there lives a King Rat who wears a judge's black hat ", (signifying death). House on the Hill was released on the 21st May 1971 shortly before Great King Rat was written by Freddie that year. Led Zeppelin were the top band at that time and Freddie , whilst admiring, Robert Plant's vocals as the best he'd ever heard, set out to topple Zep, using a song as innovative yet powerful as any Zep anthem . Great King Rat was throwing down the gauntlet to all comers as the rock anthem to make Heartbreaker seem tame and War Pigs appear lumbering. Freddie had the talent and ambition to go right to the top.and his alter ego GKR scorns and challenges all who might claim to be the god of rock..( "you sinners get in line / you're gonna find yourself the rival ". This is sheer bravado and instills great confidence on Freddie but bravado invariably masks self doubt ..
Freddie understood his sexuality and flamboyance would attract raw hostility in seventies UK.It did, initially , but the Song prophetically proclaims "you're gonna realise tomorrow" (that Freddie deserves forgiveness and inderstanding)
The song is self-mocking but brilliantly takes the elements of its age and introduces the stage persona ,snarling and clad in tight black satin ,that Freddy could use to face the hecklers, the disbelievers who deep down still clung onto needy maternal love and the trappings of white christian teachings which forbade Freddie's sexuality and natural instincts. Moreover the year the song was written , a specific Law was introduced making it illegal for same sex marriages to be recognised , "always wanted by the Law" He was owning, in advance, the reputation of the legal/family/religious outcast. He was the rebel taking on the establishment determined to prove others wrong willingly painting himself as the miscreant to do so.
The old man is simply Freddy's Dad who understood that his son would be tough and fight to the end..Freddy's final victory , when the prophecy of Great King Rat came true, was Live Aid. He was the voice that went around the world when ,on the sane day the mighty Zeppelin crumbled
I love the song because it was the very first of Freddie's songs, yet told us everything about him. Sometimes sequels don't improve on the original. Great King Rat really had it all. The more I listen to it the better it gets... unsurprisingly really, as it's the autobiography of the greatest performer of all..the Great Pretender
This is actually one of the best things in classic rock like Queen or Bob Dylan: The lyrics aren't always crystal clear. Think about it, you have bands like Linkin Park or Creed, who express their feelings or critizism openly. The lyrics are quite blunt. Personally, I just get depressed when listen to Creed...
this is obviously about someone, just read the first verse! For some reason Al Capone crops up but i doubt its him.
Love this song. Love this song. Love this song. lol it kinda sounds to me like a nursery rhyme in the chorus, really innocent, but the lyrics seem to be about a drug dealer...that's just a theory...
I noticed the date and it reminded me of this song.
I've always liked the faint sound of chains and how I never even heard them until I listed to it with headphones.
i haven't heard them, i'll listen for them
i haven't heard them, i'll listen for them