[Verse 1]
Pretty Elaina, my fair lady
She walked the high wire back in the 80’s
Feathers and sequins, she shined like a chandelier
Hanging from the top tent rafters 'til the spotlight disappeared

[Verse 2]
Harlan Giovanni, what a sight to see
The way he earned her trust was on a twenty-foot trapeze
She fell so hard because he always let her fly
'Til he left her heart suspended in a cotton candy sky
She still don’t know why

[Chorus 1]
Evеry show must end, every circus lеaves town
You don’t know the magic’s gone until the lights go down
Now she’s back in Nacogdoches and I hear she’s doing well
She only misses Harlan when she hears a carousel

[Verse 3]
Pretty Elaina made herself a nest
Her sequins and her secrets buried in her cedar chest
No one around here knows about her other life
Johnny Davis went and made her a mama and a wife
And maybe that’s alright
[Chorus 1]
‘Cause every show must end, every circus leaves town
You don’t know the magic’s gone until the lights go down
Now she’s back in Nacogdoches and I hear she’s doing well
She only misses Harlan when she hears a carousel

[Bridge]
Smith County Fair, mid-September
She walks the midway and smiles when she remembers

[Chorus 2]
Every show must end, every circus leaves town
I didn’t know the magic left 'til all the lights went down
Now I’m back in Nacogdoches and I swear I’m doing well
I only miss my Harlan when I hear a carousel
I only miss my Harlan when I hear the carousel