[Verse 1] You found me by the painted gate With sugar on your sleeve You said, “Come on, the ride’s still running,” And I forgot to leave Your laugh was soft as velvet rope Your hands were cold as tin You kissed me where the ticket tore And let the night begin [Pre-Chorus] You spun me past the shuttered stalls You swore we’d never part I heard the little horses call And gave you all my heart [Chorus] Oh, darling, keep me turning Till the morning takes the fair Hold me like you mean it With your painted smile right there Round and round, my sweet disaster I would choose you every time If the music stops tomorrow Let your last kiss still be mine [Verse 2] We shared a paper rose beneath The crooked Ferris wheel You told me every bruise you hid Was only part of the deal Your red grin cracked beneath the bulbs I saw the tired boy You said, “If you can love me here, You’ll never lose the joy” [Pre-Chorus] The midway emptied one by one The prizes watched us go You buttoned up my borrowed coat And said you loved me so [Chorus] Oh, darling, keep me turning Till the morning takes the fair Hold me like you mean it With your painted smile right there Round and round, my sweet disaster I would choose you every time If the music stops tomorrow Let your last kiss still be mine [Bridge] When dawn came pale behind the tents You wouldn’t meet my eyes You pressed a brass key in my palm And told me not to cry I asked you where you’d go from here You said, “Where I began” Then stepped behind the painted screen And vanished with the band [Final Chorus] Oh, darling, keep me turning Though the morning takes the fair I still reach across the silence For the warmth that isn’t there Round and round, my sweet disaster I would choose you every time If the music stops tomorrow Let your last kiss still be mine [Outro] I found your name beneath the paint On every ticket stub The date was years before I came The booth was boarded up Then the little calliope played The tune you used to hum And from inside the mirror, love, You smiled: “You’re next. Come on.”
