Once upon a time there was a clown
red-nosed and polkadots on his trousers
He made smiley faces for anyone who was down
and brought young and old out of their houses

But one day out of the blue
when the sky was a clear as a whistle
Something heavy dropped on his big shoe
misery among his fans began to sizzle.

A perky fellow indeed he was
strong and healthy like a little piglet
Sad faces were his duty and his boss,
he made sunshine out of sorrows and regrets

He, who had been balanced like a checkbook
Turned from piglet to crispy bacon;
From red-nosed to darkened crook,
his face turned into a vanishing beacon

So, there he was tied up in prison.
Bolted behind big bulging bars.
So he wrote a song about his mission,
how he needed a clown to heal his scares

By lunch there was a rumor around the slammer
No guard could keep the talking down
Our friend he just kept on like a hammer
because he was at heart still a clown.

A passing guard heard him humming
– thought he saw a nightingale.
Another asked “what is that drumming?”
Was someone making his way out of jail?