The King

Intro: B7 

 
I was top of all my classes 
I was leading all the plays 
                                         C#7 
I was on track for the Ivy League with a perfect GPA 
       
I was humble and athletic, and well-meaning and well-read 
    C#7                             F# 
And when I turned 18 the whole town gathered around and said: 
 

 
                                    E         
"You can be the king, you can be the king of nowhere 
                     E                F#              
You can be the king, you can wear the armour and the crown 
     E 
Yeah, you can be the king 
          F#                             G#7 
Don't you wanna be the king of nowhere? 
C#m                      F#                                      
You can be the king, and all you've got to do is stick around." 
 

 
Well, I'm not one to settle and never go beyond 
                                   C#7 
I swam right up the river, looking for a bigger pond 
   
I landed in Los Angeles and tried to book a play 
     C#7                            F# 
They said they didn't care about my hair or GPA 
And they said: 
 

 
"You are not the king! 
                E        
You are not the king of somewhere. 
                      E              F#           
You are not the king, maybe you're a jester or a clown. 
   E 
Yeah, you are not the king 
F#                               G#7 
You are not the king of somewhere 
       C#m            F#                                
If you wanna be king, find yourself a smaller slice of town." 
 

 
                               E                
I gave it 11 months of waiting tables, slinging beer 
                                  C# 
'Til I woke up one morning with a ringing in my ear 
                             E                
It was the horns of greatness calling me back home 
     C#                             F# 
So I bought a one-way ticket to the graduation show 
                                         E                 
But when I hit the high school, something different in the air 
                                            C# 
In the theatre they were fawning while he's playing with his hair 
                                         E                     
Through the window, I was watching as the folks were gathered around 
        C#                         F# 
As they toasted to his majesty and watched as he was crowned while singing: 
 

 
                                    E        
"You can be the king, you can be the king of nowhere 
                     E                F#              
You can be the king, you can wear the armour and the crown 
      E 
Yeah, you can be the king 
          F#                            G#7 
Don't you wanna be the king of nowhere? 
C#m                       F#                          G# 
You can be the king, just never take off that cap and gown 
No, no, no, no! 
C#m                      F#                                  E 
You can be the king, and all you've got to do is stick around 
          
Is stick around."