Our eyes, they glaze
The lights go down
And the calliope plays
Step up, step up to the side show
Come see the freak of the hour
With safety pins in his back and a ring through his nose
Equate his angry song with his power
He�s painted his eyes black to mask his tears
He wishes he couldn�t discern between the cheers and the jeers
In come the clowns
Our eyes, they glaze
The lights go down
And the calliope plays
Am I in the crowd
Or am I up on stage
It doesn�t seem to matter
When the lights go down
And the calliope plays
Now turn your eyes up to the tight rope
Watch the modern mom do her dance
Delicately juggling soccer balls loose change and soap
A perfect balancing act�s her only chance
A thread snaps and she nearly drops it all
The audience gasps but everyone secretly hopes to see her fall
In come the clowns
Our eyes, they glaze
The lights go down
And the calliope plays
Am I in the crowd
Or am I up on stage
It doesn�t seem to matter
When the lights go down
And the calliope plays
Now look down here at the center ring folks
See the pious lion tamer�s fight
He can feel the beast�s dank breath as the roaring lion stalks
Looking for someone to devour tonight
He stumbles underneath one savage thrust
The crowd jumps up flying high with their first taste of blood lust
In come the clowns
Our eyes, they glaze
The lights go down
And the calliope plays
Am I in the crowd
Or am I up on stage
It doesn�t seem to matter
When the lights go down
And the calliope plays
Are you in the crowd
Or are you up on stage
It doesn�t really matter
When the lights go down
And the calliope plays
-Portia 2003