He was born a man, he died a myth
The man part left and the rest stayed with
One part vision one part dream
Partly mirror and partly screen
That's why, why they say he never died

The fat man's gone the thin one stayed
Still flashy in that gold lame
Lick his back and press him down
Mail him to another town
That's why, why they say he never died

Things got hot in the styles he mixed
Did you see him move in '56
Gun smoke over the Sullivan show
Shot waist up from Tupelo

The Colonel's army took the soul
That went by the name of King Creole
And he's gone gone gone

He's left this life, he's left this stage
He's left the building but not the age
We asked too much we took his best
Couldn't let him live, can't let him rest
That's why, why they say he never died

It's America's own strange disease
How we merchandise our tragedies
If I invoke his name in vain
Then too I share in all the blame
For why, why they say he's still alive