Paul Shapera
The Carousel
[Raven]
The carousel goes round forever whirling
King becomes the beggar, becomes the clown
And when the clown he weeps, the crowd all come then to their feet
And applaud him as he falls the long way down

Long ago the sounds of crowds and madness
Howled throughout the long and wild eve
What I wouldn't spend
To hear those sounds again
Ah, then what a sweet sound that would be
Ah, then what a sweet sound that would be

We used to be a legend spoke with reverence
Inebriates would worship at our feet
The place they'd long to see
To embrace all their extremes
Ah, then what a sweet sound that would be

I cannot tell how long we have been trapped here
And now the way out lands here at my feet
Another whirl around, another game another clown
One quick cut and sleep the dreamless sleep
One quick cut, how simple it would be

[Helen]
Where do you go now
When all that you love
And all of your world is broken
All of its gone
All that you lived for
All you believed and you hoped
Where do you go when its over
From where your heart broke

[Sheriff]
There a place for us I know
Past this strange and awful show
Past this mad land and these dogs upon our throats
There's a place for us I swear
If i only knew just where
Some where far away we'll find another home

[Helen]
Where is my sister
She came through this way
She's all that I've left shes all that I got
She's all that remains

[Sheriff]
All I've left is just this gun
And I will take out anyone
Who comes to take or harm you this I know

[Han-Mi]
This carnival is all we have to run to
This nut is all we have help us through
The voice who froze our town
Is coming for us now
We're all we have to help ourselves on through
[Henry]
Where are we going
And why even try
They'll gut you and smile and gut you some more
In a world made of lies
Clutching our memories
That are untrue at best
Lies and illusions and sadness and loss
These are all we have left

[Raven]
Bring to me your pain your bitter bondage
Bring to me the tears that line your face
The lost here bid you come
Ah, dear Helen, my lost love
What a mad last bedlam we could make

One of you has got the gift I’m certain
It must be you and you must be my queen
To see that one more time
Is almost worth staying alive
Ah, then what a sweet sound that could be