The people that you meet as you travel 'round the world
Will throw you all a curve, get you twisted up and curled
You think it's just a circus 'till you see their flag unfurled
Now we cannot stop the chaos into which we have been hurled

  A thousand clowns (I'm not laughing)
  Jumping up and down (I'm not laughing)
  They're all around (I'm not laughing)
  Big mouths, little sounds (I'm not laughing)
  They dance and play (oooooooh)
  Don't get in their way (oooooooh)
  We're forced to pay (oooooooh)
  That's why I say (oooooooh)
  I'm not laughing (oooooooh)
  There's nothing funny about thousands of clowns

No one likes their government, it seems to be the rage
They spend their money badly killing children of draft age
On both sides of the curtain we're still locked into the cage
If you read your history you can see on every page

  A thousand clowns (I'm not laughing)
  Jumping up and down (I'm not laughing)
  They're all around (I'm not laughing)
  Big mouths, little sounds (I'm not laughing)
  They dance and play (oooooooh)
  Don't get in their way (oooooooh)
  We're forced to pay (oooooooh)
  That's why I say (oooooooh)
  I'm not laughing (oooooooh)
  There's nothing funny about thousands of clowns

{Guitar}

  A thousand clowns (I'm not laughing)
  Jumping up and down (I'm not laughing)
  They're all around (I'm not laughing)
  Big mouths, little sounds (I'm not laughing)
  They dance and play (oooooooh)
  Don't get in their way (oooooooh)
  We're forced to pay (oooooooh)
  That's why I say (oooooooh)
  I'm not laughing (oooooooh)
  There's nothing funny about thousands of clowns

{2 times:}
  I'm not laughing, I'm not laughing
  There's nothing funny about thousands of clowns