Circus lyrics by Tom Waits - original song full text. Official Circus lyrics, 2025 version | LyricsMode.com
Request & respond explanations
  • Don't understand the meaning of the song?
  • Highlight lyrics and request an explanation.
  • Click on highlighted lyrics to explain.
Tom Waits – Circus lyrics
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
×

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 Explain Request ×



Lyrics taken from /lyrics/t/tom_waits/circus.html

  • Email
  • Correct
Songwriters: Kathleen Brennan, Thomas Alan Waits
Circus lyrics © JALMA MUSIC
0

Circus meanings

Write about your feelings and thoughts about Circus

Know what this song is about? Does it mean anything special hidden between the lines to you? Share your meaning with community, make it interesting and valuable. Make sure you've read our simple tips.
U
Min 50 words
Not bad
Good
Awesome!

Post meanings

U
Min 50 words
Not bad
Good
Awesome!

official video

Tom Waits - Circus
0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z