[Verse 1]
If you spend enough cash at the carnival games
You'll have a prize in your hand when you walk away
It'll slip through your fingers and you'll never know
What winning's really like, at all
I stayed here too long, now it's in my soul
And when the thunder rolls, I've got nowhere to go
I keep going round on this carousel
Because it spins me so well

[Pre-Chorus]
And I'll stay with you just a little while
There's so much for us to see and do
But don't mistake this for
An adventure in paradise
Just because the ride looks so good

[Chorus]
Carnival games are so much fun to play
Hard to just walk away from
When all you want are pretty things
But the price you pay is always too much
I'll never dry up these tears
Cried from all the years of playing carnival games

[Verse 2]
To know which way to look, all the shiny lights
Sign your name on the postcard of your life
And everyone will say that you came and conquered
Yeah, you won the whole race
[Pre-Chorus]
But don't mistake this for
An adventure in paradise
Just because the ride looks so good

[Chorus]
Carnival games are so much fun to play
Hard to just walk away from
When all you want are pretty things
But the price you pay is always too much
I'll never dry up these tears
Cried from all the years of playing carnival games
Carnival games

[Bridge]
I wanna shed all of my skin
Feel my blood as it tastes the wind
I don't know where to begin

[Chorus]
Carnival games are so much fun to play
Hard to just walk away from
When all you want are pretty, pretty things
You can't walk away once you play the game
You can't get back what you paid from all the years
Of playing carnival games, carnival games
[Outro]
You'll never really know what
You'll never really know what winning's like
You'll never really know what
You'll never really know what winning's like
You'll never really know what
You'll never really know what winning's like
You'll never really know what
You'll never really know what winning's like