Intro: | G C | G 

       C                   D                  G 
The Machinist climbs his ferris wheel like a brave  
          C                     D                            G 
And the fireeater's lyin' in a pool of sweat victim of the heatwave, 
            C                     D                       G               C 
Behind the tent the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallowers blade, 
                          G 
Circus town's on the shortwave 


         C            D                       G 
Well the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn, 
    C                     D                 G 
Fat lady, big mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns, 
        C                     D                G 
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffin' popcorn  
       C                   D                 G             C 
And the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn 
                   G 
Circus town's been born. 


            
            C                                                                      G 
Whoa and a press roll drummer go, ballerina to-and-fro cartwheelin' up on that tightrope, 
          C 
With a cannon blast, lightin' flash, movin' fast through the tent, Mars bent, 
            G 
He's gonna miss his fall,  
                         D 
Oh God save the human cannonball. 



           C                                      G 
And the flying Zambini's watch Marguarita do her neck twist, 
           C                                           Am  D 
And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: 95, 96, 97. 



           C                                 D                           Em 
A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds, 
           C                        D 
And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds 
                   Em                 D           C 
They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind, 
          Bm                    Em            C 
A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin,  
          G             F         C 
Runnin' home to some small Ohio town 
Em            G                  D 
Jesus, send some sweet women to save all your clowns 



    C                        B 
And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire,  
        C                      D                        G 
And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire, 
            C                    D             G                        C 
And now the elephants dance real funky and the band plays like a jungle fire, 
                     G 
Circus town's on the live wire. 



          C 
And the strong man Sampson lifts the midget, little Tiny Tim, up on his shoulders, way up 
                                      G              C               G               C           G 
And carries carries him on down the midway past the kids, past the sailors, to his dimly lit trailer 
          C                           G                  Dsus       D 
And the ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop, 
          Dsus                               D                    Dsus 
And the circus boss leans over and whispers in the little boy's ear,  
     C                      G 
Hey son you want to try the big top? 
      C                     G 
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop.