Lyrics for The Royal Scam as interpreted by tpsully

The Royal Scam Lyrics
And they wandered in
From the city of St. John
Without a dime
Wearing coats that shined
Both red and green
Colors from their sunny island
From their boats of iron
They looked upon the promised land
Where surely life was sweet
On the rising tide
To New York City
Did they ride into the street

See the glory
Of the royal scam

They are hounded down
To the bottom of a bad town
Amid the ruins
Where they learn to fear
An angry race of fallen kings
Their dark companions
While the memory of
Their southern sky was clouded by
A savage winter
Every patron saint
Hung on the wall, shared the room
With twenty sinners

See the glory
Of the royal scam

By the blackened wall
He does it all
He thinks he's died and gone to heaven
Now the tale is told
By the old man back home
He reads the letter
How they are paid in gold
Just to babble in the back room
All night and waste their time
And they wandered in
From the city of St. John without a dime

See the glory
Of the royal scam

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Nightvoice
09-22-2008

Rated 0 
I think it's pretty relevant nowadays, with the furor over illegal immigration. America is painted as this Utopia overseas, but it's not the reality once people make it here. It can be 3 or 4 generations out before immigrants see prosperity here, if at all. I don't see much metaphor here; it's a pretty straight-ahead commentary on the immigrant experience.

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lisalambchop
05-09-2009

Rated 0 
lisalambchop
1 hr 31 min ago

Rated 0 The song is about the arrival of all the Puerto Ricans a few decades ago. (pun intended) The capitol if PR is San Juan which translstes to Saint John. They were told the streets were paved with gold (so to speak) But when they got to New York, it was not all it was cracked up to be. References include: "...wearing coats that shine boath red & green; colors from their sunny island" and "the memory of their Southern sky was clouded by a savage winter" "they are hounded down to the bottom of a bad town amid the ruins"




















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