The Neighborhood Clown

[a song I wrote 1988]

There's a man over there, with a bag of tricks, 

he's got a painted face, and he's dancing for kicks. 

He's wearing floppy shoes, and some baggy old pants, 

he's got a top hat and cane, that he uses to dance. 

He sings and he dances, with a crooked smile.

And his hours seem endless, but he laughs all the while. 

The neighborhood kids, come from all around, 

to see this painted man, they call the neighborhood clown. 

The neighborhood clown, is a spunky old man, 

who's lived a lonely life, in many foreign lands. 

He's a Vet from the war, in which his only friend died, 

and since that time, he's never let himself cry. 

He's traveled from place to place, and he has seen much pain. 

But the pain from his past, has been his only gain. 

You see the neighborhood clown, decided way back when, 

that the pain in his life, would never hurt him again. 

So he sets up his act, where all the children go, 

he paints a smile on his face, ready to put on his show. 

The laughter he hears, as he performs his act, 

erases all the pain, from his lonely past. 

The children throw flowers, and color pictures for him. 

And the old man sings louder, with that crooked grin. 

It didn't take much for him to get his kicks, 

just a laugh from the kids, and his old bag of tricks. 

But as the story goes, the old man died, 

his bag of tricks was found, by the roadside. 

The children grew up, and all moved out of town, 

but they always remembered, the neighborhood clown. 

He sang and he danced, with that crooked smile. 

His hours were endless, but he laughed all the while. 

The neighborhood clown, is remembered today, 

as the old man who wished, the world's pain away. 

And the neighborhood kids, still come from all around, 

to see the grave of the man, they called the neighborhood clown.

They still come today, to see the neighborhood clown.

They still come today, to see the neighborhood clown.