The church is glittering
on Coronation Day
Crowned heads and cardinals
under military sway
I approach the altar slowly
in a humble shroud
to receive the acclamation
of the loyal crowd
Give me power over people in a palace
with a permanent guard
and the flags unfurled
Give devotion, dedication, celebration
not some cheap charade
and I’ll rule the world
All of these delusions of grandeur
because they said ‘We don’t understand you’
and I want revenge
In audience I receive
the media’s pleas
They kiss my ring in interviews
on bended knees
In victory I’m magnanimous
and charming when
I speak exclusively at length
to CNN
About power over people in a palace
with a permanent guard
and the flags unfurled
With devotion, dedication, celebration
not some cheap charade
All of these delusions of grandeur
because they said ‘We don’t understand you’
and I want revenge
Ring the bells, tell everyone
Revolution can be fun
1993. Frederick Rolfe’s novel Hadrian VII is a favourite of mine. It’s about a penurious and persecuted Englishman who suddenly finds himself elected pope, a fantasy of the author’s. Inspired by Rolfe, this lyric imagines a persecuted and delusional Englishman becoming ruler of the world. The last line echoes the conclusion of D. H. Lawrence’s poem ‘A Sane Revolution’: ‘Let’s make a revolution for fun!’