High on a wire
poised for an imminent fall
clowns always smile
greasepaint and lust in their pores
start to sway and i hold your hand
fall, the smile surrounds his head
hot ashes, clay
hot ashes fade
to lean, to err, too far along for me
to wait around, to smile is to accept
in center ring
rolling in sawdust and hay
covered in paint
damn everything but the circus
damn the men and the women who stare
at the freaks in the cages and snares
hot ashes, clay
hot ashes fade
to win, to err, to fall too far for safety
to lean, to wait a while is too easy
to lean towards, to fall too far for me
to wait a while around is too easy
to lean too long, to fall too far for safety
to seem to smile, to lie is to accept