[Verse 1: Pop-opera male lead, grand and steady] Twenty years of sawdust and a cannon painted gold Twice a night they fire me while the band plays loud and bold Every town from here to the ocean saw me fly Every kid in every bleacher with a hand across their eyes Now the bank has got the trucks and the elephants are gone Ringmaster sold the safety net to keep the clowns on Closing night, the bleachers are half empty and they creak And the canvas has a hole in it the size of last week [Pre-Chorus: Pop-opera male lead, rising] Outside the fence I can hear them Little voices in the dark Every kid who couldn't pay Waiting on a spark [Chorus: Pop-opera male lead, full voice] Light the fuse and look up Every eye up to the sky Make the last one count for everyone outside Light the fuse and look up [Verse 2: Pop-opera male lead, urgent and proud] So I tell the boys to swing the barrel toward the flap Ringmaster's yelling, where's the net, and I just tip my cap No net tonight, I tell him, there's a river past the fence Twenty years of aiming, and tonight it all makes sense Pack the powder heavy, double what we ever used Climb into the barrel in my silver shirt and shoes Hand the match to nobody, I strike it on my boot Every kid outside the fence is about to get the truth [Pre-Chorus: Pop-opera male lead, rising] Outside the fence I can hear them Little voices in the dark Every kid who couldn't pay Waiting on a spark [Chorus: Pop-opera male lead, full voice] Light the fuse and look up Every eye up to the sky Make the last one count for everyone outside Light the fuse and look up [Bridge: Pop-opera male lead, vibrato line on the last word, held wide for the whole flight] Boom, and the whole tent breathes out Out the flap and over the crowd Over the fence and over the town Over the kids, and I don't come down [Verse 3: Pop-opera male lead, warm and huge] Splash into the river and I come up laughing loud Silver shirt and sawdust floating out across the crowd Every kid along the bank is screaming out my name Nobody bought a ticket, and they saw it all the same [Final Chorus: Pop-opera male lead, biggest voice] Light the fuse and look up Every eye up to the sky Make the last one count for everyone outside Light the fuse and look up [Outro: Pop-opera male lead, grand] Best shot of my life [End]
0/500