the whistle blows as he makes his rounds he s seen every town west of mississippi he s just a face painted all in smiles jumpin up and down and makin 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 goin round and round and round and round and round he does the best like the minstrels 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 goin round and round and round and round and round he needs the love that can t be found but you re just too blind to see that the clown is really needy 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 goin round and round and round and round and round goin round and round and round and round and round goin round and round and round and round and round goin round and round and round and round and round goin round and round and round and round and round goin round and round and round and round and round