[Verse 1]
In the land of which I speak
The people grew lazy
And they regarded their riches and free life
As simply God-given
But the world turns and turns
And no paradise lasts forever
And the good and the pious
Foolish and impressionable, watched in a daze
[Pre-refrain]
Such a man beguiles them with messages
From then on they didn’t want to hear anything else
[Refrain]
And they followed the Charlatan
For he put them under his spell
And he just seduced, seduced, seduced them completely
They obeyed the Charlatan
As if blinded by their delusion
And anyone who resists - he lies, he lies
Yeah they followed the Charlatan
[Verse 2]
He wandered restlessly through the land
Sowing disaster where he could
Prophesied dark days, with his speeches
Raised up fists
He stirred up the masses
And they poured through the streets
Proclaiming their truths
And in their madness, they seemed blinded
[Pre-refrain]
He promised the solution, that alone was grounds enough
People only learn the hard way 1
[Refrain]
And they followed the Charlatan
For he put them under his spell
And he just seduced, seduced, seduced them completely
They obeyed the Charlatan
As if blinded by their delusion
And anyone who resists - he lies, he lies
Yeah they followed the Charlatan
[Post-refrain]
They belonged to him
[Bridge]
He stoked rage and greed and hate and envy
Like all heretics, that divide the world in two
Watch out, because when the mood changes
Then there is no going back
[Refrain]
And they followed the Charlatan
For he put them under his spell
And he just seduced, seduced, seduced them completely
They obeyed the Charlatan
As if blinded by their delusion
And anyone who resists - he lies, he lies
Yeah they followed the Charlatan
[Post-refrain]
They belonged to him
And they loved him
[Outro]
Charlatan
1. Literally ‘man always and only gets clever from damage’