The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #172407 Message #4172839
Posted By: cnd
22-May-23 - 04:01 PM
Thread Name: ADD: The Clown (Mickey McConnell)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Death of the clown Cathal McConnel's bro
Pretty close, I'd say. Here's a few differences I heard:
Back in the Summer of 73 Some time after the matinee A one-lion circus in a one-horse town Suffered the loss of its senior clown And the upside-down lady on the low trapeze Caught him gasping on his weak patched knees Swift sure hands tucked him into his bed The smile was painted but the clown was dead The smile was painted but the clown was dead
And we bade our farewells by the candy floss stand To the grease-painted corpse in the Bedford land ** On the tall high hill of the cluttered stones We laid down his funny bones Eternity’s just a one-night stand Sawdust to sawdust, sand to sand Flip flop shoes and a cherry nose He’s gone to God in his working clothes He’s gone to God in his working clothes
The strong man built him a box of pine The 8 o’clock show ran at ten to nine The juggler juggled with greatest of ease And the bright smile flew on the low trapeze We buried him deep in the dead of night The tent came down in the morning light And all that was left on the morrow morn Was a sawdust circle and a square forlorn A sawdust circle and a square forlorn
But I’ll always remember the heart-breaking sound Of the grave diggers spade in the stony ground Beside the tomb of Monsignor Jones We laid down his funny bones We laid down his funny bones
Eternity’s just a one-night stand Sawdust to sawdust, sand to sand Flip flop shoes and a cherry nose He’s gone to God in his working clothes Beside the tomb of Monsignor Jones They both went to God in their working clothes
** (not 100% sure about this, but I don't think bedroom is quite right. Maybe backward?)