Ani DiFranco Follow

Life in the circus ain't easy
But the folks on the outside don't know
The tent goes up and the tent comes down
And all that they see is the show

And the ladies on the horses look so pretty
And the lions are lookin real mad
And some of the clowns are happy
And some of the clowns are sad

But underneath there's another expression
That the makeup isn't making
Life under the big top it's about freedom it's about faking
There's an art to the laughter, there's a science
And there's a lot of love and compliance

Welcome to the freak show, here we go

We live to hear the slack jawed gasping
We live under a halo of held breath
And when the children raise up a giant shield
Of laughter, it's like they're fending off death

And we can make something bigger
Then anyone of us alone
And then the clowns will take off their makeup
And the people will go home

But life on the outside ain't easy no sequins, no elephants
No parading around yeah, the tent goes up
And the tent comes down
And they're stuck in this f**king town
You need a lot of love and compliance

Welcome to the freak show, here we go