Track 4 of The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, 1973. Performed live before actual release as "Circus Song".
- The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin
- Danny Federici: accordion
- Vini Lopez: drum roll
- Garry Tallent: tuba
Performed live 44 times.
Released on The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1973).
A live version is released on the 1973 Playback US-only various artists promotional EP (as "Circus Song").
Live versions are available on the following official live downloads:
| CIRCUS TOWN - V1 | uncirculating | |
| CIRCUS SONG - V2 | uncirculating | |
| CIRCUS SONG | 5:01 | UBER22 |
| CIRCUS SONG - V3 | uncirculating | |
| CIRCUS SONG - V4 | uncirculating | |
| WILD BILLY'S CIRCUS STORY - V5 | 4:38 | WIESS |
Note: Written in 1972 as "Circus Town", and performed live as an acoustic show opener from December 1972 (by which time it was being called "Circus Song"), up until mid-1974. Inspired by memories of the circus that came to Freehold every summer when Bruce was young, he brilliantly describes the cast of characters as the tuba plays, "I’ve stood around carnivals at midnight when they’re clearing up and I was scared, I met some dangerous people.” On April 24, 1973 at the Main Point, Little Tiny Tim says, "Sampson, where's the liars? Oh, they're outside cryin' Oh, hear the liars Oh, feel their fire Hear the liars, They're so scared of dyin'", after which he sings "Well, anybody wanna try the big top? All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop." Though he had performed "Circus Song" with these lyrics since January, he made a change just before appearing May 1, 1973, at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles, where it was to be filmed for showing at the CBS Sales Convention in July. The final verse was changed to, "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 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!". In the blink of an eye, "Circus Song" went from the killer of every boy's dream to run away and join the circus, to something less nefarious, and that's the way it stayed. Click this link for further details. The first WIESS studio recordings V1 and V2 were made on May 14, 1973 at 914 Sound Studios, with eight takes; it is not known if any of these recordings survived. An almost perfect recording of "Circus Song" was recorded on May 31, 1973 at WGOE Radio Alpha Studios, Richmond, Virginia. It's available on Über Series Vol 22. Work on 'Circus Song' was resumed on June 25, 26 and final dubs on the 28th, the complete album take renamed, "Wild Billy's Circus Story". When or why the title of the song was changed is not currently known, but it was June or later. This song might not exist without bass player Garry Tallent on tuba and organist Danny Federici on accordion.
Studio Sessions: The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle
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. |
Graph accurate to the end of the Wrecking Ball Tour, December 2012.
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