The Great Deceiver
King Crimson Lyrics

Health-food faggot with a bartered bride
A man who consumes healthy food and has married someone in exchange for something else, probably money or favors.

Likes to comb his hair with a dipper ride
This person does not care about his appearance and may appear unkempt.

Once had a friend with a cloven foot
The person had a friend who was considered to be evil or wicked.

Once he called the tune in a chequered suit
He used to control the situation in his way when he was in control.

Great Deceiver!
He's a master manipulator who knows how to deceive people.

In the door on the floor in a paper bag
Inside a paper bag, on the floor, behind a door, there is something unexpected.

There's a shoe-shine boy with a gin-shop slag
There's a poor boy who shines shoes for a living, and he's with a promiscuous woman who might work at a gin shop.

She raised him up and she called him son
This woman has taken care of this boy and calls him her child.

And she canonised the ground that he walked upon
In her eyes, this boy is a saint and can do no wrong.

Cigarettes, ice cream...
These are things that are easily attainable or habits that people have, and they might be used to distract or manipulate people.

In the night he's a star in the Milky Way
At night, he's successful and famous, shining bright like a star in the sky.

He's a man of the world by the light of day
During the day, he appears to be an accomplished and experienced man who can handle anything.

A golden smile and a proposition
He has the life that everyone wants and an offer that is hard to refuse.

And the breath of God smells of sweet sedition
He makes everything appear great and easy, even if it is deceitful and manipulative.

Sing hymns, make love, get high, fall dead
He promises a life full of enjoyment, with no regard for the consequences.

He'll bring his perfume to your bed
He will convince you with his charm and charisma to fall for him.

He'll charm your life 'til the cold wind blows
He will deceive you and make you believe that he's there for you until things change, and the situation becomes dire.

Then he'll sell your dreams to a picture show
He will take advantage of your dreams and desires and turn them into something that is not real, but you'll buy into it anyway.

Camel hair, Brylcreem...
These are just items that might be associated with a rich and luxurious lifestyle, but they're not necessarily exclusive to this lifestyle.

Drop a glass full of antique sherry
A careless and thoughtless action that represents the carelessness with which this person treats people who are close to him.