Kow Tow
Written for: Messer Marco Polo (1954)
Lyric: Harold Adamson & Leo McCarey
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1954
Original publisher: Four Jays Music Co., Inc.
Verse:
(Li Po, spoken:) Who is the greatest ruler in all the world?
(People, sung:) Kublai Khan!
(Li Po, spoken:) Who holds dominion over the four winds, the seven seas, the
tall mountains, the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the peoples in China?
(People, sung:) Kublai Khan!
(Li Po, spoken:) Who is the most exalted, the most honored, the most revered,
the most renown, the most heralded, the most brave, the most valiant, the most
heroic, the most mighty, the most wise, the most noble, the most powerful, the
most eminent, the most invincible, the most courageous, the most omnipotent, the
most worthy, the most loved, and so on?
(People, sung:) Kublai Khan!
(Li Po, spoken:) Who's great virtues, if I were to recite them, would go on and
on, ad infinitum?
(People, sung:) Kublai Khan!
(Li Po, spoken:) Inasmuch as before, his imperial majesty, we are insignificant
non-entities, unworthy people, with meaningless identities; Let us, however,
proceed with habitual rituals, assume proper attitude and show your gratitude to
most worthy king.
(Li Po, sung:) Kow-tow, right now, right now!
Chorus:
Kow-tow, kow-tow, the king is here, kow-tow to him,
Kow-tow to him and bow to him,
The wonderful, wonderful, wonderful king.
Kow-tow, kow-tow, to his superiority,
The one supreme authority,
The wonderful, wonderful king.
He's never wrong, he's always right,
The king is really incredibly clever;
If he should say that black is white,
We'd surely all agree that black is white.
We'd fight to prove that black is white,
Because we know the king is always right.
Kow-tow, kow-tow, we dedicate our lives to him,
Our property, our wives to him,
The wonderful, wonderful, wonderful king.
Kow-tow, kow-tow, let no one's heart be stirred against,
Let no one say a word against
The wonderful, wonderful king.
Hail, Kublai Khan, hail, Kublai Khan,
All hail, all hail to Kublai Khan.
Kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow,
Kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow,
Kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow, kow-tow,
(Shout:) Kow-tow!
