Kingston Trio Jocko and the Trapeze Lady Lyrics:
Dick Feller

He was a boy when the circus first came to the
dust of his West Texas town. And twenty years
later, he'd spent twenty years as Jocko the Sad
Circus Clown. He did slap-stick gags in grease
paint and rags and the people would laugh 'til
they cried. But they never saw past the painted
clown mask to the sad, empty man locked inside.

The trapeze lady swung easy and gracefully, high
in the high trapeze swing. Her parents were
flyers. The circus was her life. The carny was
deep in her veins. High in the spotlights in
sequins and pink tights, she flew like a bird in
the wind. The saw dust's on daughter, the strong
men who caught her were all that she brought to
her tent.

Jocko worked down with the center ring clowns with
a sad painted smile on his face And the trapeze
lady swung easy and gracefully high in the great
canvas space. Jocko looked up with a tear in his
heart and, Lord, he wished he could fly For she
never looked down at a baggy pants clown who
looked up with love in his eyes.

It was Tulsa, the last stop, the last show of the
big top, a loud, sell-out crowd filled the seats.
They clapped for the walk-around and cheered for
the clowns. The fliers brought them to their feet.
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Then a still half-lit match fell in tender dry
grass and soon found the dry saw dust floor. The
flames leaped higher. When the people heard,
"Fire!" they swept like a wave for the
door.

Jocko looked up to the top of the tent and a
hundred feet from the ground Swung the trapeze
lady, up on the high swing, alone, with no way to
get down. He ran to the ladder that led to the
platform, she cried, "Jocko, no! There's no
time!" But her quick word of fear fell deaf
on love's ear as slowly he started to climb.

Hand over hand to the high flier's stand, taking
the rope that hung there With one quick look down,
the sad circus clown looked up and took to the
air. Slow then slowly he started to swing, his
eyes turned to tears in the smoke. Faster then
faster and as he swung past her, her strong flier
hands found the rope.

She slipped to the ground as the flames found the
rigging and licked at the rope that he held. He'd
started below when the rigging let go and down to
the saw dust he fell. She ran to his side and with
tears in her eyes, "Oh, no! Jocko, why?"
she cried. He raised his sad head. "I loved
you," he said and he closed his eyes and he
died.

Now, the trapeze lady swings easy and gracefully
high in the great canvass space. But a place and a
time are still etched in her mind of a smile
painted on a sad face. And she sometimes looks
down to the center ring clowns for someone she
never has found. For she still remembers the time
when love came to her wearing the face of a clown.
Lyrics: Jocko and the Trapeze Lady, Kingston Trio [end]