[Verse 1] Ticket in my teeth Rust on the gate Paint peeling slow Barker with a grin too wide Says “Kid I’ve been waiting Don’t you know?” Cotton candy black Ferris wheel stuck half in the sky Funhouse in the back Mirrors blink when I walk by (hey) [Chorus] Welcome to the carnival Step right up Sign away your soul Round and round You’ll lose control Laugh ‘til the screaming sounds normal Welcome to the carnival Where all your little fears grow tall Once you ride You can’t go home Welcome Welcome to the carnival [Verse 2] Clown with a stitched-on smile Hands me a mask that fits too well Carousel eyes spin slow Every carved horse looks like someone I know Fortune teller coughs Says my name before I speak Shuffles cards of teeth and glass Says “Stay ‘til the end We feed all week” (oh) [Chorus] Welcome to the carnival Step right up Sign away your soul Round and round You’ll lose control Laugh ‘til the screaming sounds normal Welcome to the carnival Where all your little fears grow tall Once you ride You can’t go home Welcome Welcome to the carnival [Bridge] I said “just one night” They stamped my wrist with a little red eye Every ride I take Another star falls out the sky I see my house in the prize booth Framed in glass Tagged “won and lost” Hear my own voice on the speakers “Come again” at any cost (come again) [Chorus] Welcome to the carnival Step right up Sign away your soul Round and round You’ll lose control Laugh ‘til the screaming sounds normal Welcome to the carnival Where all your old names don’t matter at all Join the lights Become the show Welcome Now you are the carnival
