They released an album in 1991, Shadow King, had one live performance, then disbanded. Vivian Campbell joined Def Leppard soon after, while Gramm and Turgon joined the reunited Foreigner.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Shadow King Lyrics
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A boy is born in a bed of thorns
He wears his halo hanging from his horns
City streets out of luck, you lose
To get what you need, you do what you have to do
Now count your blessings, count your tears
Talk big, laugh loud; you better back it up
It's the bottom of the river in the bottom of your cup now
Living life in this tenement town
It'll tear you up
It's gonna drag you down
You've been there once
You don't want to go back
It's all been a lie
The world don't work that way
Hey, somebody's knocking
Just taking what I need
And that ain't no crime
Hey, hey, somebody's knocking
Somewhere down the line
Once upon a time
Yeah, yeah, yeah
All right, listen
Tenement town steeped in soul and sin
The word gets round, they're gonna deal you in
But the one-eyed jack, you don't play him wrong
When the dirt goes down, you won't live long
Ain't no life in this desperate town
It'll beat you up
It'll bring you down
You've been there once
Do you want to go back
It's all been a lie
The world don't work that way
Hey, somebody's knocking
Just taking what I need
And that ain't no crime
Hey, hey, somebody's knocking
I've been down before
You won't see me cry, no way!
Hey somebody's knocking
You can take what's yours
What's mine is mine
Hey, hey, sonebody's knocking
Somewhere down the line
Once upon a time
You can't go home again
(Once upon a time)
You walk this world alone again
Ain't no life in this tenement town
It'll tear you up
It's gonna drag you down
You've been there once
Do you want to go back
It's all been a lie
The world don't work that way
Hey, somebody's knocking
Just taking what I need
And that ain't no crime
Hey, hey, somebody's knocking
Now I've been down before
You won't see me cry, no way!
Hey, somebody's knocking
You can take what's yours
What's mine is mine
Hey, hey, somebody's knocking
Somewhere down the line
Once upon a time
Once upon a time
Yeah, once upon a time
Once upon a time
The lyrics to "Once Upon A Time" by Shadow King are about the struggles of life in a tenement town. The song begins by describing the birth of a boy in a difficult environment. He is wearing a halo on his horns, which represents the dichotomy of his nature, good and evil. He lives in a city where luck isn't on his side, so he does whatever he has to do to survive. The chorus talks about knocking and taking what is needed, and how this is not a crime.
The verses delve deeper into the theme of life in a tenement town. The lyrics describe the despair and hopelessness of this environment. The word gets around and people become involved in dealing to survive. The one-eyed jack, or the dangerous players in the town, need to be respected or consequences will follow. The song ends with the realization that once you are in this life, it's difficult to get out.
Overall, the song highlights the struggle to survive in a place where hope is lost. It brings attention to the harsh reality of life in impoverished areas, where people are forced to do whatever it takes to get by.
Line by Line Meaning
A boy is born in a bed of thorns
Life is difficult from the beginning, with suffering and pain
He wears his halo hanging from his horns
Despite the difficulties, the boy still has hope and goodness within him
City streets out of luck, you lose
Urban life is harsh and unforgiving, leaving many people without hope or success
To get what you need, you do what you have to do
In order to survive, sometimes difficult or even immoral actions must be taken
Now count your blessings, count your tears
Reflect on the good and the bad experiences in life
Some killing time, some killing years
Time can be spent constructively or destructively, leading to either growth or stagnation in life
Talk big, laugh loud; you better back it up
Boasting and making grand claims will only be respected if you can actually deliver on them
It's the bottom of the river in the bottom of your cup now
When life feels like it can't get any worse, sometimes you turn to alcohol to numb the pain
Living life in this tenement town
Life is hard and poverty is all around
It'll tear you up
The harshness of life will cause physical and emotional harm
It's gonna drag you down
The weight of struggles and challenges often make life feel unbearable
You've been there once
Experiencing hardships before makes you less likely to want to go through it again
You don't want to go back
The past difficulties are not worth reliving
It's all been a lie
The world is not always what it seems and life can be unfair
The world don't work that way
The harsh realities of life are not always fair or just
Hey, somebody's knocking
Someone is at the door or coming to take what they want
Just taking what I need
Sometimes in life you have to do whatever it takes to survive
And that ain't no crime
Doing what you have to do to survive is not inherently bad or wrong
I've been down before
I've experienced hardship and know what it's like to struggle
You won't see me cry, no way!
I won't let tough times break me, I'll keep going no matter what
You can take what's yours
If someone tries to take what belongs to you, don't be afraid to fight back
What's mine is mine
Stand up for what is rightfully yours and don't let anyone take it away
Somewhere down the line
At some point in the future, the actions of the past will catch up to you
You can't go home again
Once you've left a place or time in life, you can never truly return to it
You walk this world alone again
In life, you often have to rely solely on yourself to get through difficult times
Ain't no life in this desperate town
Life in this place is full of despair and is not worth living
When the dirt goes down, you won't live long
If you don't play by the rules, you will likely not survive for very long in this harsh world
Once upon a time
In the past, things were different or better, but that is no longer the case
Contributed by Colton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.