The whistle blows
As he makes his rounds
He's seen every town
West of Mississippi

He's just a face
Painted all in smiles
Jumping up and down
And making people happy

Though deep inside a shadow grows
He could laugh and no one knows
There's a lonely man inside

[CHORUS]
Life is a three ring circus
All of the ups and
Downs of a carousel
That I know so well
Life is a three ring circus
Just one little ride
On a merry-go-round
Going round and round and
Round and round and round

He does the best
Like the minstrel did
Just to please the kids
And keep the people laughing

But no one knows
That beneath the clothes
And his turned up nose
Lives a lonely beggar

He needs the love
He spreads around
But in life he's just a clown
Till they bring the curtain down

[Repeat CHORUS]

He needs the love
That can't be found
But you're just too blind to see
That the clown is really me

[Repeat CHORUS]

Going round and round and
Round and round and round
Going round and round and
Round and round and round
Going round and round and
Round and round and round...