Step right up (uh-huh) Come on through (come on through) Smoke and mirrors, room for two Snap that smile, forget your name Watch me cheat and clap the same Painted lips and glittered shoes I've got tricks and you've got cues Hold my hat and count to three If it bites, don't look at me One-way ticket, second-hand crown Best bad show in a washed-up town Take my hand, the curtain's thin You can see the strings. Come in. Cotton candy on your tongue Same old tune, but freshly sung Hear that rattle up above? Darling, those are just the doves Step right up, the chaos calls Laugh so loud we shake the walls Life's a trick in velvet gloves Hide the wires and fake the doves Flap those wings, pretend they fly Sell a little piece of sky You know how the trick is done Play along. That's half the fun. Paper tiger, painted claws Still gets roars and wild applause Clown falls down, then takes a bow We've forgotten why we're laughing now You check every card I deal Ask if anything here's real I say, "Well, the rent is due. And I dressed like this for you." Watch your step, the boards are thin Hear the band come crashing in I don't lie, I just pretend You say, "Do that bit again." Step right up, the chaos calls Laugh so loud we shake the walls Life's a trick in velvet gloves Hide the wires and fake the doves Flap those wings, pretend they fly Sell a little piece of sky You know how the trick is done Play along. That's half the fun. You say, "Stop, your sleeve's on fire." I say, "Part of the design." You stamp out my grand finale. I bow low. You look divine. When the last cheap bulb burns through, I'm still standing next to you No trapdoor beneath my shoes For once, I've got no trick to use One for sorrow Two for show Pull the string And let them go! Step right up, the chaos calls Laugh so loud we shake the walls Life's a trick in velvet gloves Hide the wires and fake the doves Flap those wings, pretend they fly Sell a little piece of sky You know how the trick is done Stay until the morning comes (Step! Step! Spin it up!) (Fake! Fake! Fake the doves!) Step right up. The trick is through. They're mostly cardboard. This one's glue.
