Clown

(album: My Side Of Your Window - 1969)

The lights have gone dim, and the people are gone
And clown goes back into his caravan
Hangs up his smile on a hook by the door
And lets his ragged coat slip to the floor
With the sound of the children's laughter
Still ringing in his ears
Laughing 'cause they're happy
They laugh to hide their fears
Clown loves the children
For, like him, they fear
The world does not exist tonight
And only the circus
Only the circus is real

As real as the elephants that trumpet in the ring
Real like the trapeze, see it swing
Real like the man who eats real fire
Real like the lady on the high wire

But the people are gone, his identity gone
Clown peeps through the windows of his caravan
From the trees on the common
The town looks so small
Clown puts on his coat and goes out the door
And the distant neon lights
They shine above the town
"Looks almost like a circus", thinks clown
And half with fear
And half with delight
Shivering, shaking
Clown stands laughing
Clown stands laughing
Clown is laughing at the night