Ivory towers, cities of gold
How many times have we all been told?
Things people look at are not thing at all
Tell me how can they see, what they don't know at all
You've all heard the story
You know how it goes
Hoe the Emperor bought
A new set of clothes

Well now they've rallied around us
And they've told us some lies
Some left-handed half-truths and some tall alibis
They keep talking and talking, until we believe
It's the art of the Dodger, and the web that he weaves
You've all heard the story
So now you know how it goes
How the powerful sold us
A new set of clothes

The world truly marvels
At what is inside
Not material wealth
But the essence of pride
And the sad part about it
Is that it never ends
When they all get caught at it
They just make amends

The Emperor watched, as his angry court looked on
The room emptied, it dissolved, and led him to believe
That one day he'd be clothed in a suit of misfortune
And nothing more, that poor soul
The powerful were sold, powerful were sold