Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls
Children of all ages
Welcome to the big top
See the ferocious lions
Thrill to the fabulous monkeys
Laugh along with the hilarious clowns
See them, life is a three ring circus

The whistle blows as he makes his rounds
Hes seen every town west of Mississippi
Hes just a face painted all in smiles
Jumping up and down and making people happy

Though deep inside a shadow grows
He could laugh and no one knows
There's a lonely man inside

Life is a three ring circus
All of the ups and downs of a carousel
That I know so well
Life is a three ring circus
Just one little ride on a merry-go-round
Going round and round and round and round and round

He does the best like the minstrel did
Just to please the kids and keep the people laughing
But no one knows that beneath the clothes
And his turned up nose lives a lonely beggar

He needs the love he spreads around
But in life he's just a clown
Till they bring the curtain down

Life is a three ring circus
All of the ups and downs of a carousel
That I know so well
Life is a three ring circus
Just one little ride on a merry-go-round
Going round and round and round and round and round

He needs the love that can't be found
But you are just too blind to see
That the clown is really me

Life is a three ring circus
All of the ups and downs of a carousel
That I know so well
Life is a three ring circus
Just one little ride on a merry-go-round
Going round and round and round and round and round

Going round and round and round and round and round
Going round and round and round and round and round
Going round and round and round and round and round
Going round and round and round and round and round

Going round and round and round and round and round
Going round and round and round and round and round