by:  Tom Russell
written by:  Katy Moffat and Tom Russell


capo 1st fret

D5              G5       D5                  G5
Step up, buy a ticket - Front row, centre seat
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A real live human drama of love and defeat
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Don't worry 'bout the cost my friend, you'll get your money's worth
     D5   A5      B5               E5       A5       D5     G5  D5  G5
As a man and a woman star in the greatest show on earth


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May I direct your attention now, to ring number one
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A man and a woman, the affair has just begun
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And they waltz beneath the spotlight to a round of warm applause
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Then he puts on his clown mask and she her tiger claws
       B5                 C5              B5                     C5
As the band breaks into a rumba, they're blowing for all their worth
         D5   A5      B5          E5       A5       D5     G5  D5  G5
It's the end of act one, in the greatest show on earth


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May I direct your attention now, to ring number three
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A man is in the spotlight, the clown is on his knees
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He's kneeling beside a dancer, who has fallen from the wire
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Working without a net, was she the victim of desire?
        B5              C5                 B5            C5
And the crowd begins to wonder is this an act or is she hurt?
       D5         A5       B5              E5       A5       D5     G5  D5  G5
As the spotlight dims to darkness in the greatest show on earth


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And now we're in the centre ring, they're lowering the cage
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The lion and the tigress acting out their final rage
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But little children don't be scared when you hear that closing song
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The love affair has ended, but the show it must go on
        B5                 C5                  B5              C5
And the circus train moves down the line from Memphis to Fort Worth
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Appearing now in your hometown, the greatest show on earth


D5             G5        D5
Step up buy a ticket...