Transcribed from a cassette I made from a radio program, probably Mary Cliff's Traditions, male singer ? Pete Morton, who titles his song

"The Backward King"

A mountain stands at the side of the town;
It reaches high into the clouds;
People hear the tales going round
Of a very old king working upside down.
Some people say that he's no longer there
But a very old song has never disappeared.

Cho. The king works backward day and night;
He says you went left when you should have gone right.
Try to undo what you once done wrong
And the king works backwards all day long.

Well some swear blind (?) they've seen his house;
They're absolutely sure that it's upside down,
The chimneys ponting into the ground
And the floorboards creak where the roof should be.
Always walking backwards it's a wonder he can see
But with his eyes wide open he sleeps on his head
Either underneath or at the bottom of the bed.

Cho.

Well the town grew big and the town grew tall
With machinery and smoke came the urban sprawl.
There's very few believing that he's living any more
But I'm pretty sure he's behind his door
Sweating (?) in his palace, sweeping in his hall,
Pacing backwards up the corridor.
One day his dreadful tears will fall,
Will fall, will fall on one and all.

Cho.

When the rumors hit the town that the king had died
His tears started flowing down the mountain side
But at the foot of the flood came a note that read
"Time's running out but I ain't dead yet".

Cho.

Now what does it refer to ? It's been on my list of queries to submit