Circus
Tom Waits Lyrics
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green knoll, outside of town by
the train tracks and a seagull dump
Topping the bill was Horse Face Ethel
and her 'Marvellous Pigs In Satin'
We pounded our stakes in the ground
All powder brown
And the branches spread like scary
fingers reaching
We were in a pasture outside Kankakee
And One Eyed Myra, the queen of
the galley who trained the
ostrich and the camels
She looked at me squinty with her
one good eye in a Roy Orbison
T-shirt as she bottle fed
an orangutan named Tripod
And then there was
Yodeling Elaine the
queen of the air who wore a
dollar sign medallion and she
had a tiny bubble of spittle
around her nostril and a
little rusty tear, for she had
lassoed and lost another
tipsy sailor
And over in
the burnt yellow tent
by the frozen tractor, the
music was like electric sugar
And Zuzu Bolin played
'Stavin' Chain' and Mighty
Tiny on the saw and he
threw his head back with a
mouth full of gold teeth
And they played 'Lopsided heart'
And 'Moon over Dog Street'
And by the time they played 'Moanin Low'
I was soakin' wet and wild eyed
And Doctor Bliss slipped me a
preparation and I fell asleep with
'Livery Stable Blues' in my ear
And me and Molley Hoey drank
Pruno and Koolaid and she had a
tattoo gun made out of a cassette
motor and a guitar string and
she soaked a hanky in 3 Roses
and rubbed it on the spot
and drew a rickety heart and
a bent arrow and it hurt like hell
And Funeral Wells spun
Poodle Murphy on the target
as he threw his hardware,
Only once in Sheboygan did he miss
at a matinee on Diamond Pier and
she'd never let him forget it
They were doing two shows and she
had a high fever and he took
off a piece of her ear and
Tip Little told her she should
leave the bum
but Poodle said, "He fetched me
last time I run."
But I'd like to hammer this ring into a bullet
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
In the song Circus by Tom Waits, the singer describes the scene of a circus set up on a dark green knoll outside of town near the train tracks and a seagull dump. Horse Face Ethel, with her 'Marvellous Pigs in Satin' tops the bill. The singer goes on to describe the other acts, such as One Eyed Myra, who bottle-fed an orangutan named Tripod, and Yodeling Elaine, who had lost another tipsy sailor. The singer also describes the music playing, such as Zuzu Bolin playing 'Stavin' Chain' and Mighty Tiny playing the saw, and how he became wild-eyed and soaked listening to it. The singer also goes on to describe drinking Pruno and Koolaid with Molley Hoey and the painful process of getting a tattoo with a cassette motor and guitar string.
The song captures the gritty, grimy, and sometimes grotesque aspects of a circus, where performers are pushed to their limits and have to rely on each other for survival. It's a commentary on the dark reality of the entertainment industry and the price performers sometimes pay for fame and fortune. The singer's longing for whiskey and a gun at the end of the song reflects the desperation and hopelessness of the circus performers who find themselves trapped in a world they can't escape.
Line by Line Meaning
We put up our tent on a dark
green knoll, outside of town by
the train tracks and a seagull dump
We set up our circus tent in a remote and uninviting area outside town and not too far away from a waste dump for seagulls.
Topping the bill was Horse Face Ethel
and her 'Marvellous Pigs In Satin'
The main attraction was Horse Face Ethel, who brought a group of pigs dressed in satin costumes for her act.
We pounded our stakes in the ground
All powder brown
And the branches spread like scary
fingers reaching
We secured our tent to the ground and the earth was fine and powdery, with tree branches spreading like creepy fingers.
We were in a pasture outside Kankakee
The location of the circus tent was in a meadow beyond Kankakee.
And One Eyed Myra, the queen of
the galley who trained the
ostrich and the camels
She looked at me squinty with her
one good eye in a Roy Orbison
T-shirt as she bottle fed
an orangutan named Tripod
One-eyed Myra was the leader of the team who trained the ostriches and camels in the circus. She gave me a strange look with one of her eyes, which was partially obscured by a Roy Orbison t-shirt, as she fed an orangutan named Tripod with a bottle.
And then there was
Yodeling Elaine the
queen of the air who wore a
dollar sign medallion and she
had a tiny bubble of spittle
around her nostril and a
little rusty tear, for she had
lassoed and lost another
tipsy sailor
Another performer was Yodeling Elaine, the queen of the air who wore a medallion with a dollar sign. She had a tiny droplet of spit near her nostril, and a tear in her eye due to losing another drunken sailor she had roped in her act.
And over in
the burnt yellow tent
by the frozen tractor, the
music was like electric sugar
And Zuzu Bolin played
'Stavin' Chain' and Mighty
Tiny on the saw and he
threw his head back with a
mouth full of gold teeth
And they played 'Lopsided heart'
And 'Moon over Dog Street'
In the yellow tent near the frozen tractor, the band played music that sounds like electric sugar. Zuzu Bolin played 'Stavin' Chain', while Mighty Tiny played the saw and made dramatic gestures with his mouth full of golden teeth. They also played a song called 'Lopsided heart' and 'Moon over Dog Street.'
And by the time they played 'Moanin Low'
I was soakin' wet and wild eyed
And Doctor Bliss slipped me a
preparation and I fell asleep with
'Livery Stable Blues' in my ear
When they started playing 'Moanin' Low,' I was drenched in sweat and I had a wild look in my eyes. The Doctor gave me a sleeping pill and I eventually fell asleep with the sound of 'Livery Stable Blues' still in my ears.
And me and Molley Hoey drank
Pruno and Koolaid and she had a
tattoo gun made out of a cassette
motor and a guitar string and
she soaked a hanky in 3 Roses
and rubbed it on the spot
and drew a rickety heart and
a bent arrow and it hurt like hell
Molley Hoey and I drank Pruno and Koolaid mixed together. Molley had a homemade tattoo gun made out of a cassette motor and a guitar string. She rubbed 3 Roses on a cloth and drew a wobbly heart with a crooked arrow with the tattoo gun. And it was very painful for me.
And Funeral Wells spun
Poodle Murphy on the target
as he threw his hardware,
Only once in Sheboygan did he miss
at a matinee on Diamond Pier and
she'd never let him forget it
Funeral Wells operated a booth in which Poodle Murphy was spun on a target while throwing sharp objects. Poodle Murphy only missed once during a matinee in Sheboygan, and he received a lot of ridicule for it from the public.
They were doing two shows and she
had a high fever and he took
off a piece of her ear and
Tip Little told her she should
leave the bum
but Poodle said, "He fetched me
last time I run."
They had two shows scheduled and she had a high fever. That made him angry enough to rip off a piece of her ear. Tip Little warned her to leave Poodle but Poodle replied: "He caught me the last time I ran."
But I'd like to hammer this ring into a bullet
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
I feel that my experiences in the circus have seriously damaged me emotionally, and I wish I could make the circus ring into a bullet. I also feel like I want to drown out these memories with alcohol, so I wish I had whiskey and a gun.
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
I still have that nagging feeling that I need a weapon and alcohol to cope with my experiences in the circus.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: Kathleen Brennan, Thomas Alan Waits
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MrsEragon
We put up our tent on a dark
green knoll, outside of town by
the train tracks and a seagull dump
Topping the bill was Horse Face Ethel
and her 'Marvellous Pigs In Satin'
We pounded our stakes in the ground
All powder brown
And the branches spread like scary
fingers reaching
We were in a pasture outside Kankakee
And One Eyed Myra, the queen of
the galley who trained the
ostrich and the camels
She looked at me squinty with her
one good eye in a Roy Orbison
T-shirt as she bottle fed
an orangutan named Tripod
And then there was
Yodeling Elaine the
queen of the air who wore a
dollar sign medallion and she
had a tiny bubble of spittle
around her nostril and a
little rusty tear, for she had
lassoed and lost another
tipsy sailor
And over in
the burnt yellow tent
by the frozen tractor, the
music was like electric sugar
And Zuzu Bolin played
'Stavin' Chain' and Mighty
Tiny on the saw and he
threw his head back with a
mouth full of gold teeth
And they played 'Lopsided heart'
And 'Moon over Dog Street'
And by the time they played 'Moanin Low'
I was soakin' wet and wild eyed
And Doctor Bliss slipped me a
preparation and I fell asleep with
'Livery Stable Blues' in my ear
And me and Molley Hoey drank
Pruno and Koolaid and she had a
tattoo gun made out of a cassette
motor and a guitar string and
she soaked a hanky in 3 Roses
and rubbed it on the spot
and drew a rickety heart and
a bent arrow and it hurt like hell
And Funeral Wells spun
Poodle Murphy on the target
as he threw his hardware,
Only once in Sheboygan did he miss
at a matinee on Diamond Pier and
she'd never let him forget it
They were doing two shows and she
had a high fever and he took
off a piece of her ear and
Tip Little told her she should
leave the bum
but Poodle said, "He fetched me
last time I run."
But I'd like to hammer this ring into a bullet
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
@sallybowles2781
Not to take anything away from the perfectly twisted beauty of his poetry, but he can recite the telephone book with that voice and it would still be supremely interesting.
@wanderingstar23
god what a fucking poet. i remember hearing how jimi hendrix used to go everwhere with a book of lyrics by bob dylan. i would like to do the same with a book of tom waits lyrics. dude was real fucking savvy with the words
@MrsEragon
We put up our tent on a dark
green knoll, outside of town by
the train tracks and a seagull dump
Topping the bill was Horse Face Ethel
and her 'Marvellous Pigs In Satin'
We pounded our stakes in the ground
All powder brown
And the branches spread like scary
fingers reaching
We were in a pasture outside Kankakee
And One Eyed Myra, the queen of
the galley who trained the
ostrich and the camels
She looked at me squinty with her
one good eye in a Roy Orbison
T-shirt as she bottle fed
an orangutan named Tripod
And then there was
Yodeling Elaine the
queen of the air who wore a
dollar sign medallion and she
had a tiny bubble of spittle
around her nostril and a
little rusty tear, for she had
lassoed and lost another
tipsy sailor
And over in
the burnt yellow tent
by the frozen tractor, the
music was like electric sugar
And Zuzu Bolin played
'Stavin' Chain' and Mighty
Tiny on the saw and he
threw his head back with a
mouth full of gold teeth
And they played 'Lopsided heart'
And 'Moon over Dog Street'
And by the time they played 'Moanin Low'
I was soakin' wet and wild eyed
And Doctor Bliss slipped me a
preparation and I fell asleep with
'Livery Stable Blues' in my ear
And me and Molley Hoey drank
Pruno and Koolaid and she had a
tattoo gun made out of a cassette
motor and a guitar string and
she soaked a hanky in 3 Roses
and rubbed it on the spot
and drew a rickety heart and
a bent arrow and it hurt like hell
And Funeral Wells spun
Poodle Murphy on the target
as he threw his hardware,
Only once in Sheboygan did he miss
at a matinee on Diamond Pier and
she'd never let him forget it
They were doing two shows and she
had a high fever and he took
off a piece of her ear and
Tip Little told her she should
leave the bum
but Poodle said, "He fetched me
last time I run."
But I'd like to hammer this ring into a bullet
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
And I wish I had some whiskey and a gun
my dear
@moze_-
Formidable!
@nilssonakerlund2852
God dammit, I wish I could write like this!
@austindrake8344
This had me reeled In Drooling in a sort of, hypotonic State ..
@axisboldaslove5726
Finally, Tom! Now, we're getting some wheres...
@mellonbread
Jesus, first "Lucky Day Overture," now this. Also I believe a bit's missing at the end.
@timescott25
Anyone else hear 'Portishead - Only You' playing softly behind this track?
@tysonlindley4982
OMG i just noticed this! You can hear it really clearly in the remastered version.... must have been the mixer's fault?