The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I was at this carnival just a few years ago.
No big deal, Ferris wheel, the same old stuff you know.
I and wandered around the grounds until I found this little tent
A man outside made a speech, and this is how it went:
She walks, she talks,
She crawls on her belly like a reptile.
It was the same old line except for one part,
Said it don't cost no money, you got to pay with your heart
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Well I went inside and I looked around for a seat.
The lights went low, and the drums played a beat.
Then this girl come out, dressed in a scarf and sneeze.
She did a little dance that made me weak in the knees.
She danced like her back had no bone
While the band played a tone called the Main Street Moan.
She smiled a smile the whole world could see.
Then she turned her head, and she looked straight at me.
I must have jumped at least six feet in the air,
And when I come down, that girl wasn't there.
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
And out come this dude with curly read hair
He had a big bushy beard, he was built like a bear.
He said you stop all your shouting, there's no more to the show
And if you wanna breathe right, you all better go.
I didn't hang around, I headed straight for the door,
But on my way out, I heard that big bear roar
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Every night that that show played, I was right there.
I stayed out of reach of that mean red bear.
And it was just like the man had said in his speech at the start,
'cause when the carnie left town it took a piece of my heart.
And I still a funny feeling deep down in my bones,
Every time I hear a band play that Main Street Moan.
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
No big deal, Ferris wheel, the same old stuff you know.
I and wandered around the grounds until I found this little tent
A man outside made a speech, and this is how it went:
She walks, she talks,
She crawls on her belly like a reptile.
It was the same old line except for one part,
Said it don't cost no money, you got to pay with your heart
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Well I went inside and I looked around for a seat.
The lights went low, and the drums played a beat.
Then this girl come out, dressed in a scarf and sneeze.
She did a little dance that made me weak in the knees.
She danced like her back had no bone
While the band played a tone called the Main Street Moan.
She smiled a smile the whole world could see.
Then she turned her head, and she looked straight at me.
I must have jumped at least six feet in the air,
And when I come down, that girl wasn't there.
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
And out come this dude with curly read hair
He had a big bushy beard, he was built like a bear.
He said you stop all your shouting, there's no more to the show
And if you wanna breathe right, you all better go.
I didn't hang around, I headed straight for the door,
But on my way out, I heard that big bear roar
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Every night that that show played, I was right there.
I stayed out of reach of that mean red bear.
And it was just like the man had said in his speech at the start,
'cause when the carnie left town it took a piece of my heart.
And I still a funny feeling deep down in my bones,
Every time I hear a band play that Main Street Moan.
Oh Sharon, what do you do to these men?
You know the same rowdy crowd that was here last night is back again.
Lyrics submitted by SteelyMan
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Crawling on her belly like a reptile, extreme flexibility, Sharon is the snake in the Eden story, tempting the poet speaker to abandon the typical American scene in which the action starts, to become a Russia-supporting communist, i.e. the Red-Bear man in the song, who uses Sharon's propagandistic allure to bring people into the tent of International Socialism.
Or maybe it's about a dude who falls in love with a stripper. I guess the latter.