The Tears Of A Clown Lyrics
it's only there tryin' to fool the public
but when it comes down to foolin' you;
Now honey, that's quite a different subject
give you the wrong impression
Really I'm sad
I'm sadder than sad
You're gone and I'm hurtin' so bad
Like a clown I pretend to be glad
but ain't too much sadder than
the tears of a clown
when there's no one around
it's only to camouflage my sadness
In order to shield my pride I try
to cover the hurt with a show of gladness
that I've been happy since you
decided to go
Oh, I need you so
I'm hurt and I want you to know
For others I put on a show
but ain't too much sadder than
the tears of a clown
when there's no one around
I try to keep my sadness hid
Smiling in the club at night
But in my lonely room I cry
the tears of a clown
when there's no one around
"Now there's some sad things known to man but ain't too much sadder than the tears of a clown"
Sing it, Smokey! This is such a great song, it's pretty obvious (at least to me) that it's about a guy whose girl left him and he's still so sad about it. The 'clown' act is to hide his feelings.
Or maybe he just felt like a clown. That would make anyone cry. S.R. is an amazing artist.
Or maybe he just felt like a clown. That would make anyone cry. S.R. is an amazing artist.
shauncreaney:
"everytime i am asked 'how i am doing?' the generic and ubiquitous response is always 'fine'. but i am never really fine"
Is this true, you are never really fine? I feel kind of sad for you guy! Is there anything I can do to help you out? your comment just spoke to me and I didn't want to let it pass. It's nice though that you feel enough for others not to want to burden them by revealing your true state and just replying "fine" instead. I suppose we all do this! But sometimes I really am fine, and good, or even great! Is it true you are never feeling good?
The Pagliacci part is what gets me. It's such an obvious reference, but Pagliacci was a bit more tragic...
This is exactly how I would describe a good friend of mine (and former co-worker), I knew for 34 years.....My friend showed a positive behavior to others at work. When I saw him privately, he told of his anger. My friend drank. (He drank like a fish.) My friend died from liver damage.
we all put on facades to belie the grief we all feel at times. how honest about how you really are you with your compatriots? everytime i am asked 'how i am doing?' the generic and ubiquitous response is always 'fine'. but i am never really fine, i just respond with that line because it absolves all responsibility on the person asking as to why i am not fine. so smokey knows this about human interaction and makes a song of its intrinsic prevarication.
So true, so very true, i know this feeling oh too well
So true, so very true, i know this feeling oh too well
I'm pretty sure he's "smiling in the public eye," not "smiling in the club at night."
Among the many things I love about this record:
--the bassoon countermelody --the fact that this piece of music was a surprise gift from Stevie Wonder to Smokey Robinson at the 1966 Motown Christmas party --the way Smokey saves the clown reference until the very end of the first verse --the fact that Pagliacci is in this song at all --the incredibly subtle timing of the words in the second verse --the way the drummers interact
It's one of the very very best Motown ever produced, and that's saying a lot. Wow!
It should be:
Just like Pagliacci did, I try to keep my sadness hid (not surface)
And yes it is also "smiling in the public eye," not "smiling in the club at night."
I've seen Karaoke disks which say 'Just like Polly Archer did' instead of 'Just like Pagliacci did' .... Hillarious!
Is a part of the song I think it's called the turnaround anyway where Smokey sings These two lines: Theyre some sad things known to man But ain't too much sadder than... The hair on my arms stand straight up!! I get goosebumps everytime I hear that note, then they go away ehen he sings the next line, (The tears of a clown...)where Smokey resolves the melody. Its just so cool. That kind of subtle technique goes way over people's heads especially nowadays. I hate to be one of those people but auto-tune ruined music .