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Dear Madam Barnum Lyrics
I put on a fake smile
And start the evening show
The public is laughing
I guess by now they know
So climb from your high horse
And pull this freak show down
Dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
You said I was the master of all I surveyed
But now I'm sweeping up
The last in line in your circus parade
Children are clapping
As I fall to the floor
My heart torn and broken
And they just scream for more
If I'm not the sole fool
Who pulls his trousers down
Then dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
You tread the high wire
Between truth and lies
Your safety net just walked out
Much to your surprise
Strike up the band love
And let the show begin
For this is the last time
I'm painting on a grin
If I'm not the sole fool
Who pulls his trousers down
Then dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
And start the evening show
The public is laughing
I guess by now they know
So climb from your high horse
And pull this freak show down
Dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
You said I was the master of all I surveyed
But now I'm sweeping up
The last in line in your circus parade
Children are clapping
As I fall to the floor
My heart torn and broken
And they just scream for more
If I'm not the sole fool
Who pulls his trousers down
Then dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
You tread the high wire
Between truth and lies
Your safety net just walked out
Much to your surprise
Strike up the band love
And let the show begin
For this is the last time
I'm painting on a grin
If I'm not the sole fool
Who pulls his trousers down
Then dear Madam Barnum
I resign as clown
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This song was written by Andy after his breakdown on stage and refusal to ever tour again. He was dealing with chemical dependency, anxiety issues and a a failed marriage. However, the biggest motivation in the song was his statement that the band never made one cent from touring. He said that the band was touring constantly to sold-out shows, dumbing down songs so they could be played in concert, yet were not receiving any monetary reward. I believe Andy is likening himself to a circus performer, like a clown, that made others money, but never saw any reward for themselves. In the end of the song, Andy announces to the people that were exploiting the band for touring money, that the band had in fact resigned as their clown.
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how...
@Guszak I can absolutely attest to that. When we tour, it\'s always at a loss. Airfare, vehicle rental (NOT a tour bus or anything fancy), motels, food - it all adds up. Merch helps a lot, but even that doesn\'t come close to paying all the bills. Plus, we have to keep up payments for bills at home.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a top act, sure, you can make money on tour, but even that is because it\'s usually sponsored by a big company and you are, in effect, an employee of the tour. People don\'t realize how expensive it is to bring a show out on the road, and that\'s WITHOUT all the fancy stage setups.\r\n\r\nStreaming concerts just don\'t have the same effect, either for the audience or the band. Maybe one day, when VR actually works properly, it will be different. Until then, we keep doing it because we love the music, the fans, and performing.\r\n
great XTC song. My take: a man experiencing the rotten emotions of his wifes extamarital affairs. They have always been great with double entendre and tongue in cheek lyrics.
Who is Madam Barnum? Is it a self-invented persona (by Partridge) to impersonate evil forces, or is she someone we might actually know from ancient tales?
@sneeuwitje https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Taylor_Barnum is of course the source for the sirname. Maybe it was a woman that drove A.P. crazy enough to come up with "Madam Barnum"? Or women just fit a better bad-guy profile for him? ;-)
@sneeuwitje https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Taylor_Barnum is of course the source for the sirname. Maybe it was a woman that drove A.P. crazy enough to come up with "Madam Barnum"? Or women just fit a better bad-guy profile for him? ;-)
http://https//nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Taylor_Barnum is the source for the antagonist's surname 'Barnum'. But the 'Madam' part of her is unexposed, as yet...
That works very well on the second chorus/third verse, indeed, diverdave.