[Intro]
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye
For anything theatrical, and why?

[Verse 1]
There's no business like show business
Like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing
Everything the traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling
When you are stealing that extra bow

[Verse 2]
There's no people like show people
They smile when they are low
Even when they tell you that your show will fold
You may be stranded out in the cold
Still, you wouldn't change it for a sack of gold
Let's go on with the show

[Bridge]
The cowboys, the tumblers, the wrestlers, the clowns
The roustabouts who move the show at dawn
The music, the spotlight, the people, the towns
Your baggage with the labels pasted on
The sawdust and the horses and the smell
The towel you've taken from the last hotel
[Verse 3]
There's no business like show business
Like no business I know
You get word before the show has started
That your favorite uncle died at dawn
Top of that your pa and ma have parted
You're broken hearted but you go on

[Verse 4]
There's no people like show people
They smile when they are low
Yesterday, they told you, you would not go far
That night you opened and there you are
Next day, on your dressing room they've hung the star
Let's go on with the show