Richard III
Horrible Histories Lyrics
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To that hope, I did cling
'Cause I'm... Richard the third
And... Everybody loves a king!
Thought I did a good job
Why do you disagree?
There's a lot of people
Every word is a lie
So I'm singing this song
'Cause the history books
Have been telling it wrong!
I Never had a limp
Always walked my full height
Never had a hump
And my arm was all right
Never took the crown
With the ilegal power
Never killed my nephews
The princes in the tower
Tudor propaganda
It's all absurd
Time to tell the truth
'Bout King Richard the third
My brother Edward, died
His kids too young to rule
So... I took the throne
Why not? I'm nobody's fool!
Thomas More wrote a history
Said I'd murdered Edward's boys
Shakespeare said their death
Was an evil ploy
But I say those two
Are historical vandals!
They've ruined my image!
I mean, what a scandal!
Never bumped off
Those harmless young heirs
Never buried them
Under the Tower of London stairs
Never poisoned my wife
Bumped off her daddy
This is me, sweet Richard
Do I look like a baddy?
Never was two-faced
Sure you'll agree
I was misunderstood
King Richard three
Can you imagine it?
I'm the last Plantagenet
Beaten by Henry
In the Wars of the Roses
The Tudor dynasty
Didn't care that much for me
Now I'm painted as a baddy
That's why one supposes... (continues while next verse is sang)
Never forget
When you hear of my crimes
Never drowned my brother
In a massive vat of wine
Never said 'a horse!
My kingdom for a horse! '
Who made that up?
Why, William Shakespeare, of course!
Now my tale is told
You won't hear a bad word
About a special ruler
King Richard the third
Arg it's a wasp it's a wasp
The lyrics of "Richard III" by Horrible Histories go beyond merely describing the life of King Richard III of England, but also reveal his perspective on the misconceptions that have surrounded his reputation throughout history. The opening lines of the song demonstrate Richard's arrogance and overconfidence as he believes that everybody loves a king and he expects that others will share his conviction that he is an excellent king. However, he soon finds himself disputing rumors that have been circulating about him. Richard believes that the history books have been telling his story all wrong and that the accounts of his life have been filled with lies. He goes further to deny some of the incriminating accusations against him, such as killing his nephews, the princes in the tower, asnd poisoning his wife.
The song then reveals Richard's anger and indignation as he tries to set the record straight. He denies the propaganda against him and instead claims that his story has been distorted and misinterpreted by writers such as Thomas More, who claimed that he murdered his brother's sons, and William Shakespeare, who made him out to be much more villainous than he was. Richard also asserts that he was no two-faced or treacherous king, and that his actions were always misunderstood. The song concludes with Richard urging his listeners to remember his story and to never forget that the truth of his life is more important than the propaganda that has warped people's understanding of him.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sure that you'd love me
I believed that people would adore me because I am Richard the 3rd.
To that hope, I did cling
I held onto that hope strongly.
'Cause I'm Richard the third
Simply because I am Richard the 3rd, royalty, people are supposed to love me.
And... Everybody loves a king!
As a king, everybody is supposed to love me.
Thought I did a good job
I believed that I performed my duties well.
Why do you disagree?
Why do people think that I did not do a good job?
There's a lot of people
There are many people.
Spreading nasty rumors 'bout me
People are spreading unpleasant and false stories about me.
Every word is a lie
None of the stories about me are true.
So I'm singing this song
Thus, I am singing this song.
'Cause the history books
The reason is that the history books.
Have been telling it wrong!
The history books have been incorrect about me.
Never had a limp
I never parted my leg.
Always walked my full height
I stood upright without bending.
Never had a hump
I never had any deformity that made my back appear humped.
And my arm was all right
I had no issues with my arm.
Never took the crown
I never took the crown by illicit means.
With the ilegal power
I did not use unlawful authority.
Never killed my nephews
I did not kill my young nephews.
The princes in the tower
My two young nephews were not killed and buried in the Tower of London.
Tudor propaganda
The Tudors promoted untruths against me to discredit my rule.
It's all absurd
These claims and allegations are all ridiculous.
Time to tell the truth
It's the time to reveal the actual events.
'Bout King Richard the third
Our focus should be on the king, Richard Third.
My brother Edward, died
My sibling, Edward, passed away.
His kids too young to rule
His children were too young to take over the throne.
So... I took the throne
Therefore, I took control of the throne.
Why not? I'm nobody's fool!
Without a doubt, because I'm intelligent.
Thomas More wrote a history
A story was recorded by Thomas More.
Said I'd murdered Edward's boys
Thomas included that I killed Edward's sons.
Shakespeare said their death
Shakespeare alleged that their death.
Was an evil ploy
Was a wicked tactic.
But I say those two
However, I argue that these two men
Are historical vandals!
Are destroyers of accurate information.
They've ruined my image!
They have lowered my reputation.
I mean, what a scandal!
That's such a scandalous thing!
Never bumped off
I never killed.
Those harmless young heirs
I did not kill my brothers' innocent children.
Never buried them
I never buried them under the Tower of London.
Under the Tower of London stairs
The tower's stairs weren't used for their burial.
Never poisoned my wife
I did not poison my wife.
Bumped off her daddy
Killing her father was not me.
This is me, sweet Richard
I am who I am, a good guy.
Do I look like a baddy?
Would you consider me to be a bad person?
Never was two-faced
I was always transparent.
Sure you'll agree
I'm confident that you will concur.
I was misunderstood
People didn't correctly interpret my actions.
King Richard three
That's who I am, Richard the Third, the king.
Can you imagine it?
Did you ever think of this?
I'm the last Plantagenet
I am the final ruler from the Plantagenet dynasty.
Beaten by Henry
Henry defeated me.
In the Wars of the Roses
During the War of the Roses.
The Tudor dynasty
After the Tudor dynasty took power.
Didn't care that much for me
They did appreciate me that much.
Now I'm painted as a baddy
Modern media portrays me in a bad light.
That's why one supposes...
It explains why people might believe negative stories about me.
Never forget
To always remember
When you hear of my crimes
Whenever people tell lies about me.
Never drowned my brother
I did not kill my brother by drowning him in a giant vat of wine.
In a massive vat of wine
That never happened.
Never said 'a horse! My kingdom for a horse'!
I never said such a statement: 'a horse! My kingdom for a horse!'
Who made that up?
Who created this fiction?
Why, William Shakespeare, of course!
It was none other than William Shakespeare who made it up.
Now my tale is told
My story has been narrated.
You won't hear a bad word
From now on, negative information against me will not be shared.
About a special ruler
Because I was a fantastic king.
King Richard the third
That's who I was, King Richard III.
Arg it's a wasp it's a wasp
This line is not related to the song and is likely a non-sequitur joke added for humor.
Contributed by Arianna H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.