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A Circus Of Clowns

from Parables & Primes by Danny Schmidt

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lyrics

The day the circus came to town half the town rejoiced
The other half was sick in bed, and sure they’d lost their voice
Atop a great white elephant rode a monkey on a leash
They led the grand parade but when the monkey tried to speak
Trumpets blared and sparklers flared and thunder shook the ground
As the elephant split open wide and out poured all the clowns

A circus full of circus clowns -- all somersaults and flips
With pie upon their faces and with riddles on their lips
The children all got peanuts and the grownups all got checks
And everyone agreed it was the greatest circus yet
The tigers cracked their whips until the trainers jumped through hoops
Then the clowns declared the cage unfair and turned the tigers loose

One clown juggled fire while he swung from the trapeze
But he smacked and hit the tent post with the greatest of dis-ease
The fire took the tent post and the tent came crashing down
The fire truck came quickly but the back was full of clowns
And they filled the hose with righteous prose and gasoline and gall
“Relax, we’ll fight the fire back with human cannonballs”

The spectacle was gripping -- a circus show indeed
That no one took a notice as the clowns took to the streets
On tricycles with wagons and with toilet paper spools
They tee-peed all the neighbors’ homes and pissed in all the pools
“Oh look, Oh look, it’s festive now -- a three ring Marti Gras!”
Folks looked up to see the fuss, and watched in shock and awe

The crowd had gotten weary -- it was time the clowns should leave
But the clowns all played a desperate game of hide without the seek
But they were easily discovered in the shadows where they hid
Cause every clown was pointing out the clown right next to him
Let’s load em up in circus trucks and drive them out of town.
It’s not that they are bad, per se -- it’s just that clowns are clowns

credits

from Parables & Primes, released July 12, 2005

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Danny Schmidt Austin, Texas

Named to the Chicago Tribune's "50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years," Austin, TX-based singer/songwriter Danny Schmidt is considered a preeminent writer, an artist whose earthy poetry manages to somehow conjure magic from the mundane, with lyrical depth drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Townes Van Zandt. ... more

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