Prancing horses and blaring bands,
Lions, tigers and funny clowns;
All sorts of beasts from foreign lands,
Girls in tights and fancy gowns,
Monkey-men climbing up and down,
And marching along two by two
The elephant and the kangaroo—
These things you'll see,
They'll all be free,
When the circus comes to town.
The world's greatest equestrian,
Camels, zebras, leopards and snakes,
Bearded lady and tattooed man,
Circassian girls—they are not fakes—
A fellow walking upside down,
Leapers tumblers, contortionists,
Racers, wrestlers, pugilists—
These things you'll see,
They'll all be free,
When the circus comes to town.
A thick-skinned, double-homed "Rhino."
And a South American sloth,
A wild, wild man from Borneo
And a blood-sweating Behemoth;
Bears, white, cinnamon, black and brown;
Parrots, red, green, yellow and blue
That quarrel and scold like a shrew—
These things you'll see,
They'll all be free,
When the circus comes to town.