Circus
String Driven Thing Lyrics

I was watching the man on the tightrope
The singer is observing a man attempting to balance on a thin wire

He was doing his best to stay up
The man was trying his hardest not to fall off the tightrope

He was swaying from side to side
The man was gently moving back and forth as he tried to maintain his balance

And the crowd around him cried
The audience watching the tightrope walker was emotional and responsive

And the nails of the lady beside me
The woman sitting next to the artist was digging her nails into their skin

Were digging into my skin
The woman's nails were causing the singer physical discomfort

And her breathing was becoming excited
The woman was feeling aroused or stimulated by the circus performance

As they let the lions in
The lions were being introduced into the circus arena, likely to perform a trick or act

She said
The woman next to the artist spoke to them

Fall, why don't you fall for me now?
The woman is expressing a desire for the artist to fall for her, possibly using the perilous circus environment as a metaphor for taking a romantic risk

With the smell of the beast in my nostrils
The singer is describing the strong scent of the lions or other animals in the circus arena

And a look of pure fear in my eye
The artist is experiencing intense terror while observing the dangerous circus performance

The king of the jungle came forward
The lion, considered the 'king of the jungle,' was approaching something in the circus ring

And the crowd began to sigh
The audience made an audible noise, likely due to anxiety or anticipation about what would happen next in the performance

And the lady who'd been sitting beside me
The woman who had previously been seated next to the singer

Was lying upon the ground
The woman had fallen or collapsed onto the floor

And the clown who was riding my cycle
A clown riding a bicycle that belonged to the artist

Was going around and around
The clown was continuing to perform their act while chaos ensued in the circus ring

He said
The clown spoke to the singer

Fall, why don't you fall for me now?
The clown is repeating the woman's earlier sentiment, perhaps as a way to maintain levity in the midst of a stressful situation

Come on and take me to the circus
The artist is expressing a desire to go to the circus

I wanna see the lion
The artist is specifically interested in viewing the lion act

I wanna see the tiger
The singer also wants to see the tiger act

I wanna see the chimpanzee
The artist is additionally intrigued by the chimpanzee act

The chimpanzee wanna see me ... all right
The singer is making a playful comment about the chimpanzee seemingly expressing a desire to see them as well

You know I'm going home to my Marla
The singer is announcing their intention to leave the circus and go home to someone named Marla

And listen to some String Driven Thing
The singer is looking forward to possibly listening to music by a band called String Driven Thing

I've had enough peaks in the circus
The artist is tired of the highs and lows of the unpredictable circus environment

And none of them are in the ring
The artist finds the excitement or fulfillment they're seeking outside of the circus performance space

And hang on to her apron strings
The singer anticipates holding onto Marla tightly as they return home

I've had enough of life in the circus
The singer is more broadly tired of the unpredictability and danger of their current lifestyle or environment

With animals and everything
The artist is including the presence of animals in the circus as part of their objection to the lifestyle