Carnival Man

Hot night in July, he must beat the sun
Pulls into town at a quarter of one
And it's a cheap-to-go breakfast
At the Quick-Stop for one
When Joe was young he ran
Now he's the right-hand man
Of a travelin' carnival of fun

Now the parkin' lot's empty
There's work to be done
"Circle the trailers," he orders in song
For good times will be had here
Where once there was none
And he knows they can
Cause he's the right-hand man
Of a travelin' carnival of fun

Cause the carnival is his life
And it's lasted much longer
Than any of his wives, hmmm
For he's a drifter by heart and by trade
And every single day shows
On his wrinkled old face mask of age

Fat Jack says this is his last job to work
And pony Lucy's half blind from West Texas dirt
And Joe says that he should settle down
Cause the new kids want work
But this is all he planned
To be a right-hand man
Of a travelin' carnival of fun

Breakin' down booths full of
Prizes and toys
Times they have changed
From when Joe was a boy
It seems that people don't care much
For these smalltown joys
And there is no demand
To be a right-hand man
Of a travelin' carnival of fun

But the carnival is his life
And it's lasted much longer
Than any of his wives, hmmm
He's a drifter by heart and by trade
And every single day shows
On his wrinkled old face mask of age

The carnival is his life
The carnival is his life