The Joker

tell me how big must one joke be,
before there's no one left who can even see
it's just a joke

and tell me how old a joke can get,
before we're too ashamed to admit
that we missed it

how many roads must the joker walk,
before ridicule replaces talk completely

and how many clowns can walk a land,
before we suspect some strange kind of plan
is unfolding

his painted face and his twisted smile, his cartoon evil entertains the child
we like it simple or we feel betrayed, this is the house that the Joker made

an old black man sitting on a wheel says,
the niggers of the house war with niggers of the field- you see it comin?

The joke is that they seem to think they're free,
and that a nigger that he gotta be black like me, they missed the joke

in the middle of the farm sits the company store,
but we can never work off our debts no more, now can we?

Disguised in nothing nut a business suit,
the Joker waves sitting on his loot

and the Riddler riddles and he twiddles and rhymes, til we're entranced by the art of his crimes
the paperboy dutifully delivers his verse, but the riddler relieved him of his purse

Tell me just how mean that a joke can be,
before we're forced to call it cruelty
methinks pretty mean

the simple will be made to suffer the most,
on their knees they accept the host
on their tongues

the sacrifices of everyday,
will not be acknowledged in any way
sorry to say

but let it be known they are not in vain,
there must be many strikes before the beast is slain
shine on

and the Joker's comes in all preaching-up Christ, a beautiful diamond, an elaborate heist
and all he takes will need to be relearned, just another trick that the joker turned