Bruce Springsteen

Released: November 11, 1973

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Jim Cretecos Mike Appel

[Intro]
Ah-one, two, three, four

[Verse 1]
The machinist climbs his ferris wheel like a brave
And the fire eater's lying in a pool of sweat, victim of the heatwave
Behind the tent the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade
And circus town's on the shortwave

[Verse 2]
Well the runway lies ahead like a great false dawn
Whoa, fat lady, big mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns
And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffing popcorn
As the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn
Circus town's been born

[Verse 3]
Whoa, and a press roll drummer go, ballerina to and fro
Cartwheeling up on that tightrope with a cannon blast lighting flash
Moving fast through the tent Mars bent, he's gonna miss his fall
Oh God save the human cannonball
And the flying Zambinis watch Margarita do her neck twist
And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: "Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven"

[Verse 4]
A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds
And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds
They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind
A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin
Running home to some small Ohio town
Jesus send some good women to save all your clowns

[Verse 5]
And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire
And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire
And now the elephants dance real funky and the band plays like a jungle fire
Circus town's on the live wire

[Verse 6]
And the strong man Samson lifts the midget little Tiny Tim way up on his shoulders, way up
And carries him on down the midway past the kids, past the sailors
To his dimly lit trailer
And the ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop
And the circus boss leans over, whispers into the little boy's ear "Hey son, you want to try the big top?"
All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.

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From the album

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

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