Emperors and dictators are notorious for their lavish lifestyles, palaces and luxuries, but even the citizenry of some dictatorships can tolerate, if not indulge, their awful leaders as long as they don't withdraw from socializing and seclude themselves in their palaces from the public. My take on Palpatine is that he himself no longer makes public appearances in his latter years but sends an representative in his stead. Indeed, he may only be represented by an advanced CGI-like computer-animated holographic image of his younger self before his radical Dark-Side transformation. The phrases below, "Palp IS great" and "Palp IS good," are meant to sound like often-repeated lines of Imperial propaganda utilized to brainwash children in schools. The lyrics to the song, however, are not what they appear to be a first reading. To get the full intent, you would have to sing it to the accompaniment of the original song. Reason: Osborne sings the song in a sort of spacey, melancholic and weary manner that adds a tone of irony to what she's singing.... "WHAT IF PALP WAS ONE OF US?" A Citizen of the Empire's Coded Commentary in Song to His/Her Listening Public Censored by the Imperial Holonet and broadcast only by Holonet Free Republic :^) (C) Copyright 1996 By James King; All Rights Reserved. [Sung to the tune of Joan Osborne's 1995 song "(What If God Was) One of Us?" from her album "Relish") Hey-yay-yay-yay-yaddah-yaddah____ If Palp changed his name__, what would it be_? Would you flub its pronunciation if you were faced with him in all_ his_ glory_? What would you ask him if you had just_ one_ question__ ? Yeah__ Yeah___ "Palp_ IS__ great_." Yeah__ Yeah___ "Palp_ IS__ good_." Yeah__ Yeah___ "Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah!" What if Palp_ was one of us_? Just a sap_ like one of us_? Just a stran-ger a - mong us on a ship on his way_ home___? If Palp showed his face_, what would it look like? And would you wanna see__ if seeing meant that you would have to believe__ in things like Exar Kuun and Vader and the Sith_ and in_ the Dark_ Side_? And yeah__ yeah___ "Palp_ IS__ great_." Yeah__ yeah___ "Palp_ IS__ good_." Yeah__ yeah___ "Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah!_" What if Palp_ was one of us_? Just a sap_ like one of us_ riding third class a - mong us on a ship on his way_ home__? Trying to make his way_ home____ back to Coruscant all alone___? Nobody calling by holo___ 'cept for someone named "Solo"___ .... Yeah__ Yeah___ Palp's_ my__ date_! Yeah__ Yeah___ Palp's_ a__ bud_!