Pre>intro: a em a em gm
A em g d
The ringmaster looked a bit pasty and down dying as he was to get out of town
A em
The lions and the tigers had gnawed at his feet
G d
But the lion tamer's whip hurt much more than their teeth
A em g d
The giovanni sisters performed in a sweat someone cut holes in the safety net
A em
The ritzo brothers cancelled at the last minute
G d
But no one missed their act there wasn't much in it

Chorus
A em d a
And after the show that night the clowns had the makeup wiped from their faces
A em d a
When somebody pulled a knife and cut off coco's bright red braces
A d a e a d a e
They murdered the clown they wiped that grin right off his face
A d a e a d a e
They murdered the clown still the world's not a funnier place
Em gm
Funnier place (first and last time only)

The kids rode the elephant heavy as lead
I think he'd much rather have sat on their heads
They're ripping the horn from the rhino tonight
So some fat sheik can fuck all night
And watch out for coco when he's had a drink
He'll tickle the children right where they're pink
You might run away with the circus for fun
But it looks more like somewhere that you'd run from (repeat chorus)

You should see the fear on the dancing bears' faces
Take off their muzzles and check out the view
The gypsy boys seem such colourful characters
But you wouldn't want them moving in next to you
And after the whole lot has pulled out of town
The ringmaster still looks like he's going to drown
He pulls out a long knife that bears his initials
And buries it deep before he blows the whistle

A em
She looked at him sideways she looked at him dark
G d
She pulled at her beard and she started to bark
A em
He told her before not to mess with the staff
G
But she fell for the clown because she said he made her laugh (repeat chorus) /pre>

• A Brand New Book
• And It Shook Me
• Children & Dogs
• Guardian Angels
• Over The Border
• She Wants So Many Things
• Strong Winds Graham Parker
• Ten Girls Ago
• That's Where She Ends Up
• The Kid With The Butterfly Net
• The Sun is Gonna Shine Again
• They Murdered The Clown
• Weeping Statues
• When I Was King
• Wrapping Paper - Graham Parker