CAPO: 4th fret
[INTRO]
[C] [F] [C] [G] [C]
[VERSE 1]
It was a dry and dusty [F]summer [C]day
When that wagon train pulled [G]in
Just [C]three hours 'til the [F]mati[C]nee
Was scheduled [G]to be[C]gin
As the razorbacks un[F]loaded the [C]flats
A crowd did gather to [G]see
The [C]elephants tow the [F]wagons [C]back
To that empty lot on [G]Barbour [C]Street
[VERSE 2]
And the [Am]canvas-[F]men they [C]dug right [G]in
'Til [Am]on that [F]spot where [C]nothing had [G]been
You could [C]see the big-top from [F]miles a[C]round
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 3]
The circus it was [F]front page [C]news
Back in Nineteen Forty-[G]Four
[C]Everyone was grateful for [F]any ex[C]cuse
To forget a[G]bout the [C]war
The sun beat down on the me[F]nage[C]rie
In the cages the animals [G]paced
There was [C]orangeade and [F]cotton can[C]dy
And a smile on [G]every kid’s [C]face
[VERSE 4]
Each [Am]mother and [F]father, each [C]boy and [G]girl
They [Am]couldn't wait to [F]see the greatest [C]show in the [G]world
You could [C]barely hear the orchestra, they [F]cheered so [C]loud
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 5]
There were polar bears and [F]panther [C]cats
With great big fangs and [G]claws
And the [C]lions did a [F]balancing [C]act
To jubi[G]lant ap[C]plause
Then a spotlight played on a [F]platform [C]set
So high up in the [G]air
That [C]everybody [F]held their [C]breath
And they prayed a [G]silent [C]prayer
[VERSE 6]
All [Am]eyes were [F]glued to the [C]man on the [G]wire
So [Am]nobody [F]knew when the [C]tent caught [G]fire
Too [C]slowly it dawned on the [F]sold-out [C]crowd
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 7]
The fire drew air and be[F]gan to [C]climb
The audience jumped from their [G]seats
There was a [C]stampede for the [F]exit [C]sign
And some fainted [G]from the [C]heat
There were heroes who did their [F]best to [C]help
The children escape the [G]flames
And the [C]others who managed to [F]save them[C]selves
They survived but were [G]never the [C]same
[VERSE 8]
And [Am]some still re[F]member how the [C]animals [G]cried
But there [Am]weren't [F]any [C]animals in[G]side
Over [C]100 people trapped as the [F]tent burned [C]down
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 9]
As a boy I lived on [F]Barbour [C]Street
Four blocks from that circus [G]show
And I [C]begged my parents, I got [F]down on my [C]knees
But they would not [G]let me [C]go
For they had [C]grounded me, [F]two weeks [C]straight
Now I can’t even remember [G]why
But I [C]know the first time I [F]ever [C]prayed
Was when I saw that black [G]smoke in the [C]sky
[VERSE 10]
And the [Am]war it was [F]over in a [C]year, I [G]guess
But the [Am]people in my [F]town didn’t [C]cheer like the [G]rest
It still [C]breaks our hearts to re[F]member [C]now
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[OUTRO]
[C] [F] [C] [G] [C]
[INTRO]
[C] [F] [C] [G] [C]
[VERSE 1]
It was a dry and dusty [F]summer [C]day
When that wagon train pulled [G]in
Just [C]three hours 'til the [F]mati[C]nee
Was scheduled [G]to be[C]gin
As the razorbacks un[F]loaded the [C]flats
A crowd did gather to [G]see
The [C]elephants tow the [F]wagons [C]back
To that empty lot on [G]Barbour [C]Street
[VERSE 2]
And the [Am]canvas-[F]men they [C]dug right [G]in
'Til [Am]on that [F]spot where [C]nothing had [G]been
You could [C]see the big-top from [F]miles a[C]round
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 3]
The circus it was [F]front page [C]news
Back in Nineteen Forty-[G]Four
[C]Everyone was grateful for [F]any ex[C]cuse
To forget a[G]bout the [C]war
The sun beat down on the me[F]nage[C]rie
In the cages the animals [G]paced
There was [C]orangeade and [F]cotton can[C]dy
And a smile on [G]every kid’s [C]face
[VERSE 4]
Each [Am]mother and [F]father, each [C]boy and [G]girl
They [Am]couldn't wait to [F]see the greatest [C]show in the [G]world
You could [C]barely hear the orchestra, they [F]cheered so [C]loud
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 5]
There were polar bears and [F]panther [C]cats
With great big fangs and [G]claws
And the [C]lions did a [F]balancing [C]act
To jubi[G]lant ap[C]plause
Then a spotlight played on a [F]platform [C]set
So high up in the [G]air
That [C]everybody [F]held their [C]breath
And they prayed a [G]silent [C]prayer
[VERSE 6]
All [Am]eyes were [F]glued to the [C]man on the [G]wire
So [Am]nobody [F]knew when the [C]tent caught [G]fire
Too [C]slowly it dawned on the [F]sold-out [C]crowd
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 7]
The fire drew air and be[F]gan to [C]climb
The audience jumped from their [G]seats
There was a [C]stampede for the [F]exit [C]sign
And some fainted [G]from the [C]heat
There were heroes who did their [F]best to [C]help
The children escape the [G]flames
And the [C]others who managed to [F]save them[C]selves
They survived but were [G]never the [C]same
[VERSE 8]
And [Am]some still re[F]member how the [C]animals [G]cried
But there [Am]weren't [F]any [C]animals in[G]side
Over [C]100 people trapped as the [F]tent burned [C]down
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[VERSE 9]
As a boy I lived on [F]Barbour [C]Street
Four blocks from that circus [G]show
And I [C]begged my parents, I got [F]down on my [C]knees
But they would not [G]let me [C]go
For they had [C]grounded me, [F]two weeks [C]straight
Now I can’t even remember [G]why
But I [C]know the first time I [F]ever [C]prayed
Was when I saw that black [G]smoke in the [C]sky
[VERSE 10]
And the [Am]war it was [F]over in a [C]year, I [G]guess
But the [Am]people in my [F]town didn’t [C]cheer like the [G]rest
It still [C]breaks our hearts to re[F]member [C]now
When the circus came to [G]Hartford[C]town
[OUTRO]
[C] [F] [C] [G] [C]
Used chords
More of Mark Erelli