The Redemption Of Richard III
King Richard III of England gets a bad rap.
Simple songs of acoustic guitar and voice.
Story behind the song
Turns out that King Richard III of England was not so villainous as he's been portrayed by Shakespeare and history. He was actually a decent king who lost a civil war. Only afterward was he was declared evil tyrant by the winners of the war to bolster their own, weaker, claims to the throne.
This is my idea of his response to years of lies about him. Especially in light of how contemporary leaders try to "clean" their images after committing far more heinous crimes than the ones Richard was ever accused of.
Lyrics
Back in Bosworth
When the horses were my disappointment
I lay broken against the bridge
While the usurpers chanted
Crying a€œGod Save The King.a€
You came to your capitol
From the wild mountains of Wyoming
Propelled by old connections
And the men of higher commerce
Who find gold in the arms of suffering
And I cried, a€œTreason, treason, treasona€
As they pulled me to the ground
When you used the same word
Ita€™s was for different reasons
And you brought the whole world down
Two boys, young princes
Not by my hand to that tower taken
Though commands that murdered thousands
Issued out from your high office
They call me the King of Villains
And you cried, a€œFreedom, Freedom, Freedom!a€
With the Smirk at your right hand
Then you smothered dissent
Under an iron blanket
That youa€™d spread across your land
Long years Ia€™ve listened
To the false tales a€˜bout my mind and body
Twisted into horrors
By the victors of the Roses
To cement their claims to title
I see your torment
How you ache to be remembered fairly
It took Englanda€™s greatest writer
To reduce me to a monster
Tell me, who will lie for your name
And youa€™ll cry a€œReason, reason, reasona€
Trying to justify your deeds
But the world knows well
The winnera€™s voice is loudest
In the tomes of history
