A ghostly seaside circus
In a ghostly seaside town
A bleak wind blows backstage
Ringmaster wears a frown
It’s here I met an acrobat
Who loved the travelling life
Turned down her boyfriend’s ring
She didn’t want to be a wife
She thought she had another ten
Years in the lights at least
The next day she slipped and fell
A fatal 30 feet
Now she haunts the dressing rooms
Clowns shiver as they pass
They know they’re in the company
Of the ghosts of circus past
They’ve swept away the sawdust
On which the show was made
Swept away the history
Of the elephant parade
But horses were the reason
That the circus ring is round
And they couldn’t sweep away
Their hoofprints in the ground
A former lion tamer
Sells teas and souvenirs
No tigers in the ring today
There haven’t been for years
But she can still feel their breath
Her skin still bear their scars
Forever in the company company
Of the ghosts of circus past
The clowns are still called Joeys
After Grimaldi, King of Clowns
A sad depressed Victorian
Whose makeup hid his frowns
Today they don’t wear whiteface
Or even a red nose
But they know Grimaldi lingers
Still watching over shows
With a hundred long-dead acrobats
For every living one who soars
While outside in the windy night
A ghostly lion roars
So as you find your ringside seat
Keep an eye on those you pass
For you’re surely in the company
Of the ghosts of circus past
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