SONG OVERVIEW
Title: King and Lawgiver Album Position: Track 11 Act: IV - The Power Role: Political ambitions - church and state merging
Caption: Prophet. Mayor. General. Presidential candidate. “We will not acknowledge any man as king or lawgiver to the church. Christ is our only king.”
Style: Anthemic folk rock, defiant, male vocals, building power, drums entering, acoustic to electric, protest song energy, Americana, driving rhythm
Runtime Target: 3:30-4:00
FINAL LYRICS
[Driving Intro]
. ! . ! . !
. ! . ! . .
[Verse 1]
He stands as Prophet of the church
He sits as Mayor of the town
He rides as General of the Legion
And now he wants the nation's crown
[Verse 2]
Church and state were meant to stand
As separate as the sea from land
But here in Nauvoo they have merged
Into one man's command
[Pre-Chorus]
We disapprobate, we discountenance
Every attempt to unite
The power of God with the power of man
Is a tyranny in plain sight
[Chorus]
We will not acknowledge any man
As king and lawgiver to the church
Christ is our only king
Christ alone we serve
You can wear your general's sash
You can seek the president's chair
But we will not bow to any man
Who claims that God put him there
[Break]
. ! . ! . .
[Verse 3]
The Legion marches at his word
Three thousand strong in uniform
The city council does his will
The courts bend to his form
[Verse 4]
Political power and influence
Preposterous and absurd
When one man holds the sword and seal
And claims to speak God's word
[Chorus]
We will not acknowledge any man
As king and lawgiver to the church
Christ is our only king
Christ alone we serve
You can wear your general's sash
You can seek the president's chair
But we will not bow to any man
Who claims that God put him there
[Bridge - declaration]
We pledge ourselves to put him down
Not by violence but by vote
To strip the political power
From around the prophet's throat
Keep church and state divided
As the founders meant them be
No man should rule both heaven and earth
In a land that's meant for free
[Final Chorus - anthemic]
We will not acknowledge any man
As king and lawgiver to the church!
Christ is our only king!
Christ alone we serve!
You can wear your crowns of glory
You can claim the voice of God
But we will not kneel to tyranny
Dressed in a prophet's robe!
[Outro - resolute]
Christ alone...
Christ alone...
[End]
SOURCE MATERIAL FROM THE NAUVOO EXPOSITOR
All lyrics are grounded in the Nauvoo Expositor, June 7, 1844, particularly the Resolutions.
King and Lawgiver
Resolution 12: “we will not acknowledge any man as king or lawgiver to the church; for Christ is our only king and law-giver”
Church and State Separation
Resolution 3: “we disapprobate and discountenance every attempt to unite church and state”
Political Power as Absurd
“the attempt at Political power and influence, which we verily believe to be preposterous and absurd”
Pledge to Oppose
“we will not willingly support any man for office who will not pledge himself to put down all political influence of any church, and keep church and state separate”
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
“Lo! the wolf is in the fold, arrayed in sheep’s clothing, and is spreading death and devastation among the saints”
LYRIC-TO-SOURCE MAPPING
| Lyric | Source |
|---|---|
| “Prophet… Mayor… General… nation’s crown” | Historical fact - Joseph’s simultaneous positions in 1844 |
| “Church and state were meant to stand / As separate” | “disapprobate and discountenance every attempt to unite church and state” |
| “We disapprobate, we discountenance” | Direct quote from Resolution 3 |
| “Every attempt to unite” | Direct quote continued |
| “We will not acknowledge any man / As king and lawgiver” | Direct quote from Resolution 12 |
| “Christ is our only king” | “Christ is our only king and law-giver” |
| “Christ alone we serve” | Implied in Resolution 12’s declaration |
| “The Legion marches at his word / Three thousand strong” | Historical fact - Nauvoo Legion was ~3,000 men |
| “Political power and influence / Preposterous and absurd” | “the attempt at Political power and influence, which we verily believe to be preposterous and absurd” |
| “One man holds the sword and seal” | Joseph as both military commander (sword) and mayor (seal) |
| “We pledge ourselves to put him down” | “we will not willingly support any man for office who will not pledge himself to put down all political influence” |
| “Not by violence but by vote” | The Expositor’s strategy was electoral, not revolutionary |
| “Keep church and state divided” | Resolution 3’s core argument |
| “Tyranny dressed in a prophet’s robe” | “the wolf is in the fold, arrayed in sheep’s clothing” |
PRODUCER NOTES
What This Song Does
- Lists the accumulation of power: Prophet, Mayor, General, Presidential candidate
- Uses the Expositor’s own language: “king and lawgiver,” “disapprobate and discountenance”
- Frames resistance as both religious AND political - defending Christ’s authority and American democracy
- Builds to anthemic protest energy - this is a rally cry
Key Production Decisions
- Driving rhythm - This needs protest song energy, building throughout
- Acoustic to electric - Starts grounded, builds to full band by final chorus
- “Christ alone” as the anchor - The Expositor writers were defending Christianity, not attacking it
- Anthemic final chorus - This is the political climax of the album
- Male vocals, building intensity - Defiant, declarative, rallying
The Bridge: Violence vs. Vote
The bridge explicitly commits to democratic means: “Not by violence but by vote.” This is historically accurate. The Expositor publishers were organizing for the August 1844 elections. Francis Higbee’s letter (Track 14) calls citizens to “prepare for the dreadful conflict in August” - meaning the election, not armed conflict.
They weren’t revolutionaries. They were using the democratic process to oppose theocratic power. This distinction matters.
The Accumulation of Power
By 1844, Joseph Smith simultaneously held:
- Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois
- Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion (largest militia in Illinois, ~3,000 men)
- Presidential candidate for the United States (announced January 1844)
No other American had ever held such a concentration of religious, civic, military, and political power. The Expositor writers saw this as fundamentally incompatible with both Christianity (“Christ is our only king”) and democracy (“keep church and state separate”).
Connection to Other Tracks
- Track 1 “June 7, 1844” - “We hazard everything we have” - this song shows what they were opposing
- Track 12 “The Inquisition” - What happened when they opposed: secret trial, excommunication
- Track 13 “Habeas Corpus” - Another abuse of power: using the charter to protect criminals
- Track 14 “Citizens of Hancock County” - Francis Higbee’s call to action for the August elections
Act IV Opening
This song opens Act IV by naming the political stakes. The listener has seen:
- Act I: Who spoke and why
- Act II: What happened to the women
- Act III: What was taught in secret
Now Act IV asks: How was this power maintained? “King and Lawgiver” answers: by concentrating religious, civic, military, and political authority in one man.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Nauvoo city charter, granted by the Illinois legislature in 1840, gave the city extraordinary powers:
- Its own court system with broad habeas corpus authority
- Its own militia (the Nauvoo Legion) with the mayor as commander
- Effective autonomy from state and federal oversight
Joseph Smith, as mayor, could and did use these powers to:
- Release prisoners arrested on federal warrants
- Command a military force larger than the U.S. Army garrison in the region
- Control city ordinances and courts
His presidential campaign in 1844 was not merely symbolic. The Mormon vote was significant in Illinois politics, and the campaign included serious policy positions on slavery (gradual emancipation through land sales), territorial expansion, and prison reform.
The Expositor writers saw this concentration of power as:
- Theologically wrong - “Christ is our only king and lawgiver”
- Politically dangerous - “disapprobate and discountenance every attempt to unite church and state”
- Practically absurd - “preposterous and absurd”
Their response was democratic action: organize, publish, vote. The destruction of their press three days later proved their warnings prophetic.
ALBUM FLOW NOTE
Act IV: The Power structure:
| Track | Title | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | King and Lawgiver | Political ambitions - the accumulation of power |
| 12 | The Inquisition | Secret trial - silencing internal dissent |
| 13 | Habeas Corpus | Charter abuses - creating a legal sanctuary |
Transition from Act III: Act III documented what was taught and extracted. Act IV shows how power was maintained:
- Concentrate authority (Track 11)
- Silence dissent (Track 12)
- Control the legal system (Track 13)
Transition to Track 12: “King and Lawgiver” shows the power structure. “The Inquisition” shows what happened to those who opposed it: William Law, Wilson Law, and Jane Law were tried in secret and excommunicated without being present or informed.
VERSION HISTORY
v1 (Final)
- Listed the four positions: Prophet, Mayor, General, Presidential candidate
- Used Expositor language: “king and lawgiver,” “disapprobate and discountenance”
- Bridge commits to democratic means: “not by violence but by vote”
- Final chorus builds to anthemic protest energy
- “Christ alone” anchors the religious argument
Concerns Noted (for future revision if needed)
- Pre-chorus uses archaic language (“disapprobate, discountenance”) - intentional but may affect singability
- “Three thousand strong” is historical but not from Expositor - documented fact
- Anthemic tone is different from earlier tracks - intentional for protest song energy