the Brass Ring is an evil thing
when fortune calls -- don't answer
you take that call, you'd better have a plan
incentive I can comprehend
but keep your eye on what you spend
'cause Saruman and Sauron ain't got nothing on the man
the Brass Ring is a nasty thing
like rodents in a wheel
as much so now as back when it began
now, I'll admit, I've had some luck
I almost make a decent buck
but that ain't nothing next to what's bestowed upon the man
so, rub-a-dub-dub
three men inside a tub
some folks I think we all agree we've seen
the butcher looks despondent
like some foreign correspondent
sailing off upon a sea of green
once more, rub-a-dub-dub
how did they get in the tub?
stranger bedfellows I never have seen
the butcher and the baker have long since met their maker
ground up by some finely oiled machine
the Brass Ring -- a compulsive thing
a circular obsession
so run, run, run, as quickly as you can
the wrong side of the border
a life a little in disorder
devil's taking prisoners while the Lord works for the man
last time, rub-a-dub-dub
wash the blood off in the tub
and slip into the night, a sight unseen
no time now to rehearse
it could be better, could be worse
whilst we deviate as far as we are able from the mean