don mclean
Along with "And I Love You So", both of them from 1970 debut album "Tapestry", I picked up this one from the double concert album "Solo"(Recorded in Manchester/Oxford, England October 1973 and released October 1976) and worked it out playing classic guitar, only frequently using full chords. But here they are, as simple as I found it possible.
The last verse is pure wisdom. Period.
cotton candy • two for a quarter • see if the fat man can guess your weight
a big stuffed tiger is what I bought her and I'm going home 'cause it's late
roller coasters make me dizzy • cotton candy makes me sick
I wish I had some bromo fizzy • that would do the trick
everyone knows that the clowns aren't happy
everyone knows that the people don't care
I wish I could laugh at the ways they are acting
but I'm so sick and I just don't dare to
high wire dancers kick and balance • white silk horses step in time
the tatooed man displays his talence • I'm not the talented kind
I always go to the circus on sundays
there I can laugh at the people I see
but when I leave home in the morning on monday
everybody laughs at me
I make other people nervous • I guess that's why they laugh at me
but to me my life is a three ring circus and I can watch it for free
have you seen my wife Elvira
she can tame a lion you know
I once had a bushy name
but that was so damned long ago
tight collared clowns in plastic buildings have happy families as their fate
happy jobs and happy clubs and happy people they hate
everyone's juggling and everyone's acting
with smiles of grease paint three feet wide
everyone's caught on a carousel pony
one time around is a life time ride
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
A Amaj7 Bm E9 E E7 A E6 cotton candy two for a quarter see if the fat man can guess your weight A Amaj7 Bm E9 E E7 A E6 a big stuffed tiger is what I bought her and I'm going home 'cause it's late A Amaj7 Bm E9 E E7 A E6 roller coasters make me dizzy cotton candy makes me sick A Amaj7 Bm E9 E E7 A A7 I wish I had some bromo fizzy that would do the trick D E A Amaj7 everyone knows that the clowns aren't happy D E A A7 everyone knows that the people don't care D E Amaj7 A#dim I wish I could laugh at the ways they are acting B7 E E7 but I'm so sick and I just don't dare to
