Preservation lyrics - The Kinks song

Once upon a time
In a faraway land
Lived a villain called flash
He was such a wicked man
He terrorized the people
He broke arms and crushed hands
He ruled with a fist and he purchased all the land

Then he plowed up the fields and cut down the trees
For property speculation
And he did it all for a pot of gold
And for his own preservation

The people were scared
They didn't know where to turn
They couldn't see any salvation
From the hoods and the spivs
And the crooked politicians
Who were cheating and lying to the nation

Save the fields and the trees
And give them back to the nation
Bring the government down
A new leader must be found
For the sake of preservation

He said he did it to help us all
And did it for the good of the nation
But he did it for a pot of gold
And for his own preservation

When money is evil
And power is corrupt
The devil moves in and takes over
Mr. flash broke his word
And now he's got to pay
For his crimes and his lies and his evil ways

And it's gonna get rough
And it's gonna get rough
It's a crime and a sin that no one can win
In a story of self preservation