This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Welcome to the dark carnival.
Violent j
Shaggy 2 dope
The insane clown posse
Will live forever
(live forever) join us
(live forever) follow me
(live forever) carnival awaits us
(live forever) take my hand
(live forever) take my hand
(live forever) shangri la
(live forever) live forever
(live forever)
Here go another clown song, freaky and weird
I'm still preachin', I'm like Noah without the beard
I'm tryin a spread the facts that I know fo sho
Yet many don't believe in our carnival freak show
It's alright, tho, there's enough who do
And only time will tell if our stories are true
But for everybody here, I can promise you this
You'll never hear us laugh about the typical bullshit
Livin', all the money they got
All the ice they wear and all the people they shot
All the freaks they pull and all the cars they drive
Only we'd rap about fuckin' a beehive!
You wanna keep it real? walk out your door
That's as real as it gets from the sky to the floor
But the dark carnival will take your soul away,
And give you mystical adventure in a magical way
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
Fun house, freak shows, the murder go round
Fuck how you're lookin', painted up like a clown
Loosen up, let it go, you ain't gotta be tense
Faygo flyin' everywhere, fuck makin' sense!
And that's the beauty of it, look backstage
And another group out here on the same page
Run with everybody or walk with our crew,
Stand on the moon, face the world, and say fuck you!
I ain't sittin' up, playin' that star biz
Put me in the crowd where my juggalos is
Treat me special, I'm a leave your lip draggin'
We in this together, waitin' on the same wagon
Let em laugh now, let em laugh for years
We'll see who's laughin' in the house of mirrors.
Cause that's where I'm goin', and if you're not,
Pull that other shit and hear about the ends they got
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
(live forever)take my hand
(forever, live forever)
Come take a journey through heaven and hell
See what we have to promise you, the story I tell
Walk hand in hand with the devil and god
Let em pull you in half, purgatory is odd.
Fuck newspapers, fuck magazines
Fuck a&rs and your ball-huggin' jeans
Fuck anybody tryin' ta change our ways
As long a six joker cards got somethin' to say
I speak for the crazy, I speak for scrubs
I speak for the thugs pissin' in your hot tubs
I speak for the people that you always say don't know how to act
We like em just like that!
Fuck your grammies, fuck your music awards
I'll strangle your host with his microphone cord
Fuck anybody that ain't down with the clown
From now until millenniums after, I'm dead in the ground
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away
Violent j
Shaggy 2 dope
The insane clown posse
Will live forever
(live forever) join us
(live forever) follow me
(live forever) carnival awaits us
(live forever) take my hand
(live forever) take my hand
(live forever) shangri la
(live forever) live forever
(live forever)
Here go another clown song, freaky and weird
I'm still preachin', I'm like Noah without the beard
I'm tryin a spread the facts that I know fo sho
Yet many don't believe in our carnival freak show
It's alright, tho, there's enough who do
And only time will tell if our stories are true
But for everybody here, I can promise you this
You'll never hear us laugh about the typical bullshit
Livin', all the money they got
All the ice they wear and all the people they shot
All the freaks they pull and all the cars they drive
Only we'd rap about fuckin' a beehive!
You wanna keep it real? walk out your door
That's as real as it gets from the sky to the floor
But the dark carnival will take your soul away,
And give you mystical adventure in a magical way
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
Fun house, freak shows, the murder go round
Fuck how you're lookin', painted up like a clown
Loosen up, let it go, you ain't gotta be tense
Faygo flyin' everywhere, fuck makin' sense!
And that's the beauty of it, look backstage
And another group out here on the same page
Run with everybody or walk with our crew,
Stand on the moon, face the world, and say fuck you!
I ain't sittin' up, playin' that star biz
Put me in the crowd where my juggalos is
Treat me special, I'm a leave your lip draggin'
We in this together, waitin' on the same wagon
Let em laugh now, let em laugh for years
We'll see who's laughin' in the house of mirrors.
Cause that's where I'm goin', and if you're not,
Pull that other shit and hear about the ends they got
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
(live forever)take my hand
(forever, live forever)
Come take a journey through heaven and hell
See what we have to promise you, the story I tell
Walk hand in hand with the devil and god
Let em pull you in half, purgatory is odd.
Fuck newspapers, fuck magazines
Fuck a&rs and your ball-huggin' jeans
Fuck anybody tryin' ta change our ways
As long a six joker cards got somethin' to say
I speak for the crazy, I speak for scrubs
I speak for the thugs pissin' in your hot tubs
I speak for the people that you always say don't know how to act
We like em just like that!
Fuck your grammies, fuck your music awards
I'll strangle your host with his microphone cord
Fuck anybody that ain't down with the clown
From now until millenniums after, I'm dead in the ground
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Come and take me away (take me away)
I live for the carnival
I'd die for the carnival
I pray for the carnival
Please take me away (take me away
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Love the feel of this song, especially the chorus of "I live for...I die for...I pray for..." Reminds me of the good ole days when there were more old-school Juggalos around who were real. Not just "fans" who think its cool to act like morons & give the rest of us a bad name.
i t hink this song is describing that he would die for something he loves idk my bf got me listening to icp i love themnow
To me this song means that Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope stick up for what they believe. What us as family believe. They speak for those who nobody would ever listen to and that the Dark Carnival would make it all worth the while. Too bad there's too many fakes now a days.