Little Emperor - Steve Earle

Hey little Emperor, come down from your throne

The hourglass is empty, your time has come and gone

The battlements are crumblin' the walls are tumblin' down

Your counselors and concubines are getting' out of town

Some say it’s an omen, some say it’s the winds of change

Which every way it’s going' it’s blowin' like a hurricane

Hey little conqueror, where you gonna go?

The world is even smaller than it was when you left home

Emptiness in front of you and detritus behind

Nobody ever told you that history was kind

Standin' on the corner, your fortune blowin' in the wind

Daddy didn’t warn that there ain’t no going home again

No pomp and circumstance, no more shock and awe

You’re just a little emperor, that’s all

Hey little hypocrite, what you gonna say

When you wind up standin' naked on the final judgment day

How you gonna justify it, who you gonna call

What if it turns out God doesn’t look like you at all

The leaves are in the teacup, the hieroglyphics on the wall

You ain’t the first to rise up, you sure won’t be last to fall

Hey little emperor, come down from your throne

And let another emperor climb on