The Jester Knows My Name
bunnieparkerPosted on October 12, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Lyrics
[Intro]
One little step on a black-and-white floor
Two little knocks on a locked cellar door
Three little cards with the faces rubbed clean
Four little words that I heard in a dream
(He knows, he knows)
I never told him my name
[Verse 1]
He wore a crooked smile and a coat of red
With a silver bell stitched above his head
He bowed like a fool then he counted to three
And asked what a stranger could possibly see
I said just a clown with a hole in his shoe
He said that's a funny thing coming from you
Then he dealt me a card with a crack down the side
And the face on the paper looked just like mine
[Pre-Chorus]
He said pick a door but don't pick it twice
The left one takes payment the right one takes price
The middle one opens for those who pretend
I said and what happens when this little game ends
He grinned
[Chorus]
The jester knows my name
He writes it in the dust and he laughs when I look away
He knows every secret that I buried in the floor
And he knocks from the inside when I lock another door
Oh the jester knows my name
Every joke's a little truth wearing someone else's face
I came here for the answers now I'm begging for the end
But the fool keeps dealing cards and the game begins again
(Play your hand, play your hand)
(You don't know who you are)
[Verse 2]
There were thirteen chairs in a room built for twelve
A portrait of a king with no face on the shelf
A rabbit in a waistcoat kept time with a spoon
While a clock with no hands sang a song out of tune
The rabbit said run but remember the track
The way out is forward the way home is back
I asked who was missing from the portrait upstairs
He pointed at me
Then he vanished in the stairs
[Pre-Chorus]
The jester said funny you look rather pale
You wanted the truth now you're scared of the tale
You asked me a question you already knew
I said I never met you
He said neither did you
[Chorus]
The jester knows my name
He writes it in the dust and he laughs when I look away
He knows every secret that I buried in the floor
And he knocks from the inside when I lock another door
Oh the jester knows my name
Every joke's a little truth wearing someone else's face
I came here for the answers now I'm begging for the end
But the fool keeps dealing cards and the game begins again
(Play your hand, play your hand)
(You don't know who you are)
[Bridge]
Tell me little jester why are you here
To give you the answer you came here to hear
Then tell me the truth what do you want from me
He took off his hat
And I finally could see
No painted grin
No eyes underneath
Just a cracked little mirror
Reflecting my teeth
[Build]
The bells on his sleeves were the sounds I had made
The jokes that he told were the debts I had paid
The cards in his pocket were choices I'd burned
Every wrong turn was a lesson unlearned
I reached for his collar he reached for my hand
We moved at the same time as if perfectly planned
And the mirror split open
The music stopped
The jester was gone
But the laughter was not
[Breakdown]
Who deals the cards
(The hand that you hide)
Who built the maze
(The walls from inside)
Who locked the door
(The fear that you fed)
Who knows your name
(The voice in your head)
I smashed every mirror
I tore up the cards
I dragged every secret
Out into the yard
But the last little shard
Caught the light from the flame
And a mouth in the glass
Started whispering my name
[Final Chorus]
The jester knows my name
Now I hear his laughter in the pouring rain
Every mask I ever wore every truth I rearranged
Every time I played the fool I was keeping him in chains
The jester knows my name
But I'm done pretending that the rules will never change
Let the bells ring out let the painted curtains fall
If the fool was always me then I'll answer to them all
(I know, I know)
(I know who I am)
[Outro]
One little step on a black-and-white floor
Two little knocks on a locked cellar door
Three little cards
Four little words
I never told him my name
(Then why)
Did he call me by yours