Tears of a clown
Beat Lyrics

Say oh yeah baby baby
The singer starts the song by addressing the listeners and setting the mood of the song.

Now if there's a smile on my face
The singer explains that the smile on his face is not genuine and he's only pretending to be happy.

It's only there tryin' to fool the public
The smile is just a facade to deceive people and hide his true emotions.

But when it comes down to foolin' you
The singer admits that he can't fool his loved one, who can see through his act and knows he's unhappy.

Now honey that's quite a different subject
He explains that he can't pretend to be happy in front of his loved ones, as it's harder to deceive them.

So don't let my glad expression
The singer warns his loved one not to be fooled by his smile.

Give you the wrong impression
He doesn't want his loved one to get the wrong idea about his state of mind.

'cause really I'm sad (so sad sad)
The singer reveals that he's genuinely sad and his smile is just a disguise.

Oh I'm sadder than sad (so sad sad)
He emphasizes the depth of his sadness and how it's affecting him.

Well I'm hurt and I want you so bad (so sad sad)
He admits that he's in pain and longs for his loved one to come back to him.

Like a clown I appear to be glad
The singer compares himself to a clown who has to put up a happy face even when he's unhappy.

There's some sad things known to man
The singer acknowledges that there are many sad things in life.

But ain't too much sadder than
He states that nothing is as sad as the tears of a clown.

The tears of a clown
He repeats the phrase, emphasizing the theme of the song.

When there's no one around
The singer explains that he's most vulnerable when he's alone and no one is there to see through his act.

Now if I appear to be carefree
The singer explains that he's only acting carefree to hide his sadness.

It's only to camouflage my sadness
He uses the word camouflage to explain that he's hiding his true emotions.

And honey to shield my pride I try
He wants to protect his pride and avoid showing his vulnerability.

To cover this hurt with a show of gladness
He's using his smile to cover up the hurt caused by his loved one leaving him.

So don't let my show convince you
He warns his loved one not to be deceived by his performance.

That I've been happy since you decided to go
The singer clarifies that he's been unhappy since his loved one left.

Oh I need you so
He expresses his need for his loved one and how much he misses them.

Look I'm hurt and I want you to know
He wants his loved one to understand his pain and how much he's suffering.

Just for others I put on a show
He explains that he's only putting up a show for other people, not for himself or his loved one.

Just like Pagliacci did
He references the character Pagliacci from an opera who was a clown that kept his sadness hidden.

I'm gonna keep my surface hid
The singer reiterates that he's going to keep up his disguise.

Hiding in my room I try
The singer shares that he's hiding in his room, possibly to cry in private and avoid showing his sadness to others.

But in this lonely room I cry
He cries alone in his room, emphasizing how lonely and despairing he is.

Now if there's a smile on my face
The singer returns to the beginning of the song, reminding the listener that his smile is fake.

Don't let my glad expression
He repeats the warning not to fall for his smile.

Give you the wrong impression
He reiterates that his smile is not a genuine reflection of his state of mind.

Don't let this smile I wear
He emphasizes that the smile is something he wears, not something he genuinely feels.

Make you feel that I don't care
The singer clarifies that just because he's putting on a smile, it doesn't mean he doesn't care.

I'm going down de town
The singer ends the song repeating a line with a Caribbean accent, possibly to give the song a playful, ironic touch.

I'm going downtown
He's going downtown, possibly to hide his sadness among other people or to escape his own thoughts.

Tears of a clown
The song ends with the same phrase that emphasizes the theme of the song.