Bruce Springsteen – Wild Billys Circus Story (Guitar)

       C                   D                  G
The Machinist climbs his ferris wheel like a brave

          C                     D                            G
And the fireeater's lyin' in a pool of sweat victim of the heatwave,

            C                     D                       G               C
Behind the tent the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallowers blade,

                          G
Circus town's on the shortwave

         C            D                       G
Well the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn,

    C                     D                 G
Fat lady, big mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns,

        C                     D                G
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffin' popcorn

       C                   D                 G             C
And the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn

                   G
Circus town's been born.

            C                                                                      G
Whoa and a press roll drummer go, ballerina to-and-fro cartwheelin' up on that tightrope,

          C
With a cannon blast, lightin' flash, movin' fast through the tent, Mars bent,

            G
He's gonna miss his fall,

                         D
Oh God save the human cannonball.

           C                                      G
And the flying Zambini's watch Marguarita do her neck twist,

           C                                           Am  D
And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: 95, 96, 97.

           C                                 D                           Em
A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds,

           C                        D
And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds

                   Em                 D           C
They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind,

          Bm                    Em            C
A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin,

          G             F         C
Runnin' home to some small Ohio town

Em            G                  D
Jesus, send some sweet women to save all your clowns

    C                        D                    G
And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire,

        C                      D                        G
And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire,

            C                    D             G                        C
And now the elephants dance real funky and the band plays like a jungle fire,

                     G
Circus town's on the live wire.

          C
And the strong man Sampson lifts the midget, little Tiny Tim, up on his shoulders, way up

                                      G              C               G               C           G
And carries carries him on down the midway past the kids, past the sailors, to his dimly lit trailer

          C                           G                  Dsus       D
And the ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop,

          Dsus                               D                    Dsus
And the circus boss leans over and whispers in the little boy's ear,

     C                      G
Hey son you want to try the big top?

      C                     G
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop.

    G   C   D   Am  Em  Bm  F   Dsus
e|--3---0---2---0---0---2---1---3----|
B|--0---1---3---1---0---3---1---3----|
G|--0---0---2---2---0---4---2---2----|
D|--0---2---0---2---2---4---3---0----|
A|--2---3-------0---2---2---3--------|
E|--3---------------0-------1--------|