Released: March 15, 1988
Songwriter: Chris Frantz Tina Weymouth Jerry Harrison David Byrne
Producer: Talking Heads Steve Lillywhite
[Verse]
Found out this morning
There's a circus coming to town
They drive in Cadillacs
Using walkie-talkies, and the Secret Service
Their big top
Imitation of life
And all the flags and microphones
We have to cover our eyes
We play the sideshows
And we like the tunnel of love
And when we ride the ferris wheel
We're little children again
And when they're asking for volunteers
We'll be the first ones aboard
And when the ringmaster calls our names
We'll be the first ones to go ... to sleep
Stealing all our dreams
Dreams for sale
They sell 'em back to you
On with the show
Start the parade
We sand along
Sweep us away
It's political party time
Going down, going down, coming down
And the celebrities all come out
Coming down, coming down, coming
The sun is going down
And the dogs are starting to howl
We stay out after dark
Eating cotton candy
And the music's playing
How we all laughed!
We split our sides
The cameras flashed
We almost died!
The rain's gonna pour on down, falling out of the sky
Coming down, coming down
And the celebrities all run out, and the rain's
Coming down, coming down
[Chorus]
Gonna rain
Gonna rain, gonna rain[x2]
Rain, rain[x2]
[Outro]
And now I wonder who's boss
And who he's leavin' behind?
Found out this morning
There's a circus coming to town
They drive in Cadillacs
Using walkie-talkies, and the Secret Service
Their big top
Imitation of life
And all the flags and microphones
We have to cover our eyes
We play the sideshows
And we like the tunnel of love
And when we ride the ferris wheel
We're little children again
And when they're asking for volunteers
We'll be the first ones aboard
And when the ringmaster calls our names
We'll be the first ones to go ... to sleep
Stealing all our dreams
Dreams for sale
They sell 'em back to you
On with the show
Start the parade
We sand along
Sweep us away
It's political party time
Going down, going down, coming down
And the celebrities all come out
Coming down, coming down, coming
The sun is going down
And the dogs are starting to howl
We stay out after dark
Eating cotton candy
And the music's playing
How we all laughed!
We split our sides
The cameras flashed
We almost died!
The rain's gonna pour on down, falling out of the sky
Coming down, coming down
And the celebrities all run out, and the rain's
Coming down, coming down
[Chorus]
Gonna rain
Gonna rain, gonna rain[x2]
Rain, rain[x2]
[Outro]
And now I wonder who's boss
And who he's leavin' behind?
more tracks from the album
Once in a Lifetime
- Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town (Alternate Version)
- Love for Sale
- The Big Country
- Stay Hungry
- I’m Not in Love
- Artists Only
- Found a Job
- Warning Sign
- Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
- The Democratic Circus
- Mr. Jones
- Blind
- People Like Us
- City of Dreams
- Love → Building on Fire
- Burning Down the House
- New Feeling (Alternate Version)
- Lifetime Piling Up
- A Clean Break (Let’s Work)
- Sax and Violins
- I Wish You Wouldn’t Say That
- In Asking Land
- Sugar on My Tongue
- Drugs (Alternate Version)
- Cities (Alternate Version)
- Puzzlin’ Evidence
- Wild Wild Life
- The Lady Don’t Mind
- Creatures of Love
- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- Swamp
- Slippery People
- Girlfriend Is Better
- Making Flippy Floppy
- Pulled Up
- Psycho Killer
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- The Book I Read
- No Compassion
- Tentative Decisions
- Heaven
- Life During Wartime
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
- Houses in Motion
- Memories Can’t Wait
- I Zimbra
- Road to Nowhere
- (Nothing But) Flowers
- Crosseyed and Painless
- Take Me to the River
- Air
- Listening Wind
- Stay Up Late
- And She Was
- Once in a Lifetime
From the albums
- Naked (1988)
- Once in a Lifetime (2003)
Talking Heads popular songs
- Once in a Lifetime
- Psycho Killer
- This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
- Burning Down the House
- Life During Wartime
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
- Road to Nowhere
- Crosseyed and Painless
- The Great Curve
- Girlfriend Is Better
- Slippery People
- (Nothing But) Flowers
- Heaven
- Take Me to the River
- And She Was
- Listening Wind
- Don’t Worry About the Government
- Seen and Not Seen
- Making Flippy Floppy
- Houses in Motion
- I Zimbra
- The Overload
- Cities
- Wild Wild Life