Pogo the Clown (The Ballad of John Wayne Gacy)

(Verse 1) I’m a respectable man, got a house on the West Side, Contractor by day, throw parties for the neighborhood kids. They call me Pogo, I paint my face up real bright, Big red nose, floppy shoes, laughin’ all through the night. Come on downstairs, son, I got some magic tricks to show, Just you and me in the basement, nobody else has to know. (Chorus) Pogo the Clown, yeah he’s smilin’ tonight, 33 boys sleepin’ quiet under the floorboards, out of sight. I tie ‘em up gentle, chloroform sweet and slow, Then I put ‘em to bed where the crawlspace won’t let ‘em go. I’m a good man, a family man, everybody sees, But when the makeup comes off… that’s when I’m really me. (Verse 2) They come lookin’ for work, young runaways hitchin’ a ride, I give ‘em a hot meal, a place to sleep, and a reason to hide. Handcuffs behind the back, “let’s play a game, kid,” A rope around the neck till the twitchin’ stops, God forbid. I buried ‘em neat, stacked ‘em like cordwood down there, Sometimes I’d sit on the couch just smellin’ the air. Wife never knew, the neighbors never heard a sound, Just good ol’ John from next door, always around. (Chorus) Pogo the Clown, yeah he’s smilin’ tonight, 33 boys sleepin’ quiet under the floorboards, out of sight. I tie ‘em up gentle, chloroform sweet and slow, Then I put ‘em to bed where the crawlspace won’t let ‘em go. I’m a good man, a family man, everybody sees, But when the makeup comes off… that’s when I’m really me. (Bridge) They found the lime, the bones, the smell you can’t forget, Pulled ‘em out one by one while the whole world watched on TV set. I told ‘em it was the drugs, told ‘em it was the boys, Said “I didn’t kill nobody” with a straight face and poise. But deep in that crawlspace, I finally felt alive, Collecting pretty young things till the collection grew too wide. (Verse 3) Now I’m on death row drawin’ pictures of clowns, Sendin’ ‘em to collectors all over town. They say I’m a monster, say I’m the worst one yet, But I still got that smile they’ll never forget. From the parades to the prison, the show must go on, Pogo’s still dancin’… even after I’m gone. (Final Chorus ) Pogo the Clown… still smilin’ in the dark, 33 little secrets buried in my heart. I was the man who waved at you from the float, The one who shook your daddy’s hand and wore the coat. Nobody knew… nobody saw… Just a clown in the basement, breakin’ every law. (Outro) Hey kid… you wanna see a real magic trick? Come on downstairs… I’ll make you disappear.