The Tears Of A Clown Lyrics

Lyric discussion by fortm 

Cover art for The Tears Of A Clown lyrics by Smokey Robinson

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!