"The Carnival"

"The Carnival" (words and music by J Arthur Casey)

The carnival's in town and all the carnys, like parasites, infest this little town 'round this time every year
And they ride their dirty bicycles on sidewalks and menace senior citizens with their guitars and their acoustic punk rock songs

And every little town they see as a freak show
Of ordinary simple-minded folks
Who discard them with looks from down their noses
Knowing well their sons could be the next to go

The carnival's in town and all the high school boys have got their high school sweethearts on their arms
And their hoping for a miracle but they're settling for a "goodnight kiss"
As they turn away and walk home in the dark

The silence is deafening and the darkness is blinding
And it's sprawled across the fairgrounds like a corpse
And the children have all gone home
And the carnys sleep alone
All sprawled across the fairgrounds like a corpse

In every little town there is a tavern
Where the people congregate to hear the news
Tonight the conversation's of the carnys
And the problems they's been having with a few

So the owners told the carnys they could sleep in all day Sunday
If they'd get that fucker tore down in the middle of the night
They said the mayor's done come 'round, don't want this bastard in his town
He says this carnival gets ugly when you see it in the light

And the barkers are silent now
And the spotlights have all gone out
And it's sprawled across the fairground like a corpse
Now the children have all gone home
And the carnys all sleep alone...

The carnival's in town.
Life is a freak show.
The carnival's in town.

May 11, 1997