The Emperor, The Concubine & The Commoner

Words & Music by Clementine

Hundreds of years ago when emperors rule
The most beautiful girl was torn apart
An honour to her family but death to her heart
A mistress she will be, the emperor’s concubine.

I was a commoner, a slave to the rules
Inside the Forbidden City, I was rooted
With a glimpse of her peach blossom eyes
Caught, imprisoned and beaten
Oh, what a grave sin it is to stare at the emperor’s concubine

One gloomy night she came and brought some provisions
Completely forgetting the hunger and pain
As she parted her lips for a brief conversation
The visit has blossomed into romance
The beginning of a tragic affair with the emperor’s concubine

Upon release I go back to my woodcutting station
And under the new moon’s light to my lover’s temptation
Inside the forest, witnessed by the stars, we made love
Parting before the rituals begin in the palace of the emperor’s concubine

Fire in our eyes
Fire in our hearts
We have dared to defy imperial convention

Some good things never last, and for us it quickly came to pass
Like a Shakespearian sonnet, knocking at the doors of death
The emperor’s fury was conquered with love and mercy
To his concubine he said, “Remove the unwanted in your womb,
And your life will be spared.”

Fire in our eyes
Fire in our hearts
We have dared to defy imperial convention
Off with our heads
Off with our lives
We will wait till our next incarnation.