Wild Billy's Circus Story

Wild Billy's Circus Story

A-one, two, three, four

The machinist climbs his Ferris wheel like a brave
And the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heat wave
Behind the tent, the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
And circus town's on the shortwave

Well, the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Whoa, Fat Lady, Big Mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcorn
Yeah, the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
The circus town's been born

Whoa, and a press roll, drummer go, ballerina to-and-fro
Cartwheelin' up on that tightrope with a cannon blast, lightin' flash
Movin' fast, through the tent, Mars bent, he's gonna miss his fall
Oh, God save the human cannonball
And the flying Zambinis watch Margarita do her neck twist
And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: "Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven"
A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds
And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds
They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind
A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin
Runnin' home to some small Ohio town
Jesus, send some good women to save all your clowns

And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire
And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire
And now the elephants dance real funky, and the band play like a jungle fire
Circus town's on the live wire
And the strong man, Sampson, lifts the midget, little Tiny Tim, way up on his shoulders, way up
And carries him on down the midway
Past the kids, past the sailors, to his dimly lit trailer
And the Ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop
And the circus boss leans over, whispers in the little boy's ear, "Hey son, you wanna try the big top?"
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

Wild Billy's Circus Story (Live Version)

May 1, 1973

All the singers have lines they say before songs to the people they dedicate it to.
But, you know, dedication is a funny thing. We got this gig in New York.
Somebody, some crazy man put this in the Madison Square Garden: "Anybody who wants a name set at Madison Square Garden can meet me backstage with a quarter."
This is a song about the circus.

Well the machinist climbs his Ferris wheel like a brave
And the fire eater's lying in a pool of sweat, victim of the heat wave
Behind the tent, the leather boy tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
The circus town's on the shortwave
Da

Well now, the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Oh, Fat Lady, Big Mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcorn [sniffs]
The midget licks his fingers, suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
Circus town's been born

Whoa, and a press roll, drummer go, ballerina to-and-fro
Cartwheeling up on the tightrope with a cannon blast, lighting flash
Moving fast, through the tent, Mars bent, he's gonna miss his fall
Oh, God save the human cannonball
And the flying Zambinis watch Margarita do her neck twist
The ringmaster gets the kids to count along: "Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven"
And behind the tent, half bent, money spent, with his wet face fallen on the ground
There's a half-smile, half-frown going down
Oh, Jesus, send some sweet women to save all the clowns

And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire
As the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire
And the elephants dance real funky, and the band plays like a jungle fire
Circus town's on the live wire
And the strong man, Sampson, lifts the midget, little Tiny Tim, way up on his shoulders, way up
And carries him on down the midway
Oh, past the kids, past the sailors, to his dimly lit trailer
And the Ferris go 'round and 'round like it ain't ever gonna stop
And the circus boss is whispering into some little boy's ear, "Hey son, you wanna try the big top?"
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.
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