Circus of Life

Lyrics

[Verse 1] She's a door without a key, he's a guitar without strings She was lying wide open like a Bible on a plinth Came on like a hellfire preacher, casting out her ghosts Fell at the first hurdle like a Grand National horse [Chorus] Oh, kingdom of strife (Oh) Oh, circus of life (Woo) [Verse 2] She tried to rearrange him, his strings were cut loose He dangled like a puppet, crumpled and spooked He's a whiskey-priest, a punctured beast Another barroom king without his crown [Chorus] Oh, kingdom of strife (Oh) Oh, circus of lifе [Post-Chorus] Clowns all juggled, jugglers told jokes Lion tamеrs danced up on the tightrope Trapeze girls in the lions' cage He's got the soul of a lover, but his heart is full of rage (Oh) [Verse 3] He's a soldier with no rifle, a crook without a job A blind man cane-less, now he's walking into walls He's countin' his chickens, wolves are at the door He's a convict of love in his sad sick cell of woe [Chorus] Oh, kingdom of strife Oh, circus of life (Oh) [Post-Chorus] Clowns all juggled, jugglers told jokes Lion tamers danced up on the tightrope Trapeze girls in the lions' cage He's got the soul of a lover, but his heart is full of rage (Oh) [Verse 4] Things he believed in, he don't anymore There's a whore in his hallway, the police at the door He's stranded and helpless, he's shouting in silence The fruits of the flesh are embedded in violence The lips he once kissed are now lips that curse him And nothing gets better, it only gets worse [Chorus] Oh, kingdom of strife Oh, circus of life [Post-Chorus] Clowns all juggled, jugglers told jokes Lion tamers danced up on the tightrope Trapeze girls in the lions' cage He's got the soul of a lover, but his heart is full of rage [Verse 5] He's running from himself, he can never get away He's masking his feelings with two bottles a day He's still looking for salvation in another's arms They're all out to do you in and do you harm (Oh) [Chorus] Oh, circus of life Oh, kingdom of strife Oh, circus of life Oh, kingdom of strife [Instrumental Break] [Verse 6] He's out on his own with the sky and the stars The wind calls her name and memory scars He disappears her face with three bottles a day His stomach is screaming, the landlord wants pay Where has it got him? Where can he go? When he's stuck at the bottom and the ringmaster says "On with the show" "On with the show" "On with the show" [Interlude] He drinks to remember, he drinks to forget He drinks for the hell of it and he's not finished yet Exhalted in company (Oh), melancholic alone He's nailed to the bottle, he's soaked to the bone He drinks when he's lonely and that's quite a lot these days Top shelf nirvana, rock bottom final phase He's trying to fill a hole that can never be filled The more he digs, the deeper trouble he's in [Chorus] Oh, kingdom of strife Oh, circus of life Oh, kingdom of strife Oh, circus of life [Outro] Kingdom of strife