[Verse 1] He rolls in on silent wheels Painted grin, chrome cheeks Rubber nose, red as rust Eyes like sparks in sleep Cards in hand, clean white gloves He bows to the crowd Then his jaw splits wide And the room goes loud You hear the giggle first Then the servo hum Kids on the front row freeze When the march has come [Pre-Chorus] He taps the floor Three neat knocks Every laugh is timed Every step is locked Circle the ring Don't break the line When the little bell rings It's showtime [Chorus] Run, run, killer clown Metal teeth, lay the ground down Smile, smile, paint it red When the big top snaps, we play for dead Run, run, killer clown Turn that grin into a crown Clap, clap, take your bow Nobody leaves when the lights go out [Verse 2] Another one slides in From the smoke and wire Pigtail antennae Spitting static fire He juggles steel balls With a wrist so smooth Every ball he drops Is a breaking tooth A horn blows once From the mouth of doom His laugh is a loop That fills the room He points at you Like he picked his mark Then the cage doors slam And the aisles go dark [Pre-Chorus] He tilts his head Like a child at play But the hands on his arms Are built to slay Paper confetti falls Like snow in June And the floor starts shaking To his metal tune [Chorus] Run, run, killer clown Metal teeth, lay the ground down Smile, smile, paint it red When the big top snaps, we play for dead Run, run, killer clown Turn that grin into a crown Clap, clap, take your bow Nobody leaves when the lights go out [Bridge] Under the tent, the moon gets thin Tin hearts march in a crooked grin One by one, they wake, then sing A thousand gears in a carousel ring He knows your name He knows your fear He leans too close And the end gets near [Breakdown] Honk, honk Hear the chrome laugh Step, step Feel the cage close fast Hush now The painted face comes near No fun here Only static in your ear [Final Chorus] Run, run, killer clown Metal teeth, lay the ground down Smile, smile, paint it red When the big top snaps, we play for dead Run, run, killer clown Turn that grin into a crown Clap, clap, take your bow Nobody leaves when the lights go out Run, run, killer clown Hear the crowd as it falls down Smile, smile, mark the town The circus stays when the sun goes down [Outro] He bows once more Slow and clean Then the tent folds shut Like a broken dream And through the dark You hear him hum One last laugh From the loaded drum
