[Intro] Step right up, the tent is awake, Painted smiles split when the floorboards shake. A brass-toothed tune curls out of the fog, The midway's open—come meet the dog. [Verse 1] Black ticket stamped with a handprint red, The barker counts down from the back of your head. Paper crowns turn as the lanterns swing, Every prize has a little brass ring. You hear your name from the shooting gallery, Tin targets grin where the dead should be. I walk through the curtains, the canvas draws tight, A crooked parade comes alive in the night. [Chorus] Welcome to the carnival under the hill, Where the painted dolls laugh and the clocks stand still. Step to the tune, let the whole world sway, The last ride's waiting—there's no other way. [Verse 2] The carousel horse has a splintered jaw, It circles the tent like it knows what it saw. A red-haired clown keeps score with a knife, And trades you a ribbon for years of your life. The calliope wheezes, the rafters reply, The moon shuts its eye as the crows wheel by. I kick through the gate, hear the iron chain sing, The midway bows to its terrible king. [Bridge] No map, no morning, no road back home, Just one brass note and the dark alone. The lights go out; hear the crowd hold still— Then the whole tent answers from under the hill. [Final Chorus] Welcome to the carnival under the hill, Where the painted dolls laugh and the clocks stand still. Step to the tune, let the whole world sway, The last ride's waiting—there's no other way. Welcome to the carnival, keep your eyes wide, The barker knows every name you hide. Step to the tune, let the whole world sway, The last ride's waiting—there's no other way. [Outro] Step right up... The tent is awake.
