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Hartfordtown 1944

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Cmajor

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Mark Erelli - Hartfordtown 1944
CAPO: 4th fret
[Intro]
C  F  C  G  C
[Verse 1]
It was a dry and dusty Fsummer Cday
When that wagon train pulled Gin
Just Cthree hours 'til the FmatiCnee
Was scheduled Gto beCgin
As the razorbacks unFloaded the Cflats
A crowd did gather to Gsee
The Celephants tow the Fwagons Cback
To that empty lot on GBarbour CStreet
[Verse 2]
And the Amcanvas-Fmen they Cdug right Gin
'Til Amon that Fspot where Cnothing had Gbeen
You could Csee the big-top from Fmiles aCround
When the circus came to GHartfordCtown
[Verse 3]
The circus it was Ffront page Cnews
Back in Nineteen Forty-GFour
CEveryone was grateful for Fany exCcuse
To forget aGbout the Cwar
The sun beat down on the meFnageCrie
In the cages the animals Gpaced
There was Corangeade and Fcotton canCdy
And a smile on Gevery kid’s Cface
[Verse 4]
Each Ammother and Ffather, each Cboy and Ggirl
They Amcouldn't wait to Fsee the greatest Cshow in the Gworld
You could Cbarely hear the orchestra, they Fcheered so Cloud
When the circus came to GHartfordCtown
[Verse 5]
There were polar bears and Fpanther Ccats
With great big fangs and Gclaws
And the Clions did a Fbalancing Cact
To jubiGlant apCplause
Then a spotlight played on a Fplatform Cset
So high up in the Gair
That Ceverybody Fheld their Cbreath
And they prayed a Gsilent Cprayer
[Verse 6]
All Ameyes were Fglued to the Cman on the Gwire
So Amnobody Fknew when the Ctent caught Gfire
Too Cslowly it dawned on the Fsold-out Ccrowd
When the circus came to GHartfordCtown
[Verse 7]
The fire drew air and beFgan to Cclimb
The audience jumped from their Gseats
There was a Cstampede for the Fexit Csign
And some fainted Gfrom the Cheat
There were heroes who did their Fbest to Chelp
The children escape the Gflames
And the Cothers who managed to Fsave themCselves
They survived but were Gnever the Csame
[Verse 8]
And Amsome still reFmember how the Canimals Gcried
But there Amweren't Fany Canimals inGside
Over C100 people trapped as the Ftent burned Cdown
When the circus came to GHartfordCtown
[Verse 9]
As a boy I lived on FBarbour CStreet
Four blocks from that circus Gshow
And I Cbegged my parents, I got Fdown on my Cknees
But they would not Glet me Cgo
For they had Cgrounded me, Ftwo weeks Cstraight
Now I can’t even remember Gwhy
But I Cknow the first time I Fever Cprayed
Was when I saw that black Gsmoke in the Csky
[Verse 10]
And the Amwar it was Fover in a Cyear, I Gguess
But the Ampeople in my Ftown didn’t Ccheer like the Grest
It still Cbreaks our hearts to reFmember Cnow
When the circus came to GHartfordCtown
[Outro]
C  F  C  G  C

All chords in this song (4)

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Hartfordtown 1944

by Mark Erelli

Lyrics & chords · Original key · Capo on fret 4 (as written in this song)

Chords in this song · guitar

Mark Erelli - Hartfordtown 1944

CAPO: 4th fret

[Intro]

C F C G C

[Verse 1]

F C

It was a dry and dusty summer day

When that wagon train pulled in

C F C

Just three hours 'til the matinee

G C

Was scheduled to begin

F C

As the razorbacks unloaded the flats

A crowd did gather to see

C F C

The elephants tow the wagons back

G C

To that empty lot on Barbour Street

[Verse 2]

Am F C G

And the canvas-men they dug right in

Am F C G

'Til on that spot where nothing had been

C F C

You could see the big-top from miles around

G C

When the circus came to Hartfordtown

[Verse 3]

F C

The circus it was front page news

Back in Nineteen Forty-Four

C F C

Everyone was grateful for any excuse

G C

To forget about the war

F C

The sun beat down on the menagerie

In the cages the animals paced

C F C

There was orangeade and cotton candy

G C

And a smile on every kid’s face

[Verse 4]

Am F C G

Each mother and father, each boy and girl

Am F C G

They couldn't wait to see the greatest show in the world

C F C

You could barely hear the orchestra, they cheered so loud

G C

When the circus came to Hartfordtown

[Verse 5]

F C

There were polar bears and panther cats

With great big fangs and claws

C F C

And the lions did a balancing act

G C

To jubilant applause

F C

Then a spotlight played on a platform set

So high up in the air

C F C

That everybody held their breath

G C

And they prayed a silent prayer

[Verse 6]

Am F C G

All eyes were glued to the man on the wire

Am F C G

So nobody knew when the tent caught fire

C F C

Too slowly it dawned on the sold-out crowd

G C

When the circus came to Hartfordtown

[Verse 7]

F C

The fire drew air and began to climb

The audience jumped from their seats

C F C

There was a stampede for the exit sign

G C

And some fainted from the heat

F C

There were heroes who did their best to help

The children escape the flames

C F C

And the others who managed to save themselves

G C

They survived but were never the same

[Verse 8]

Am F C G

And some still remember how the animals cried

Am F C G

But there weren't any animals inside

C F C

Over 100 people trapped as the tent burned down

G C

When the circus came to Hartfordtown

[Verse 9]

F C

As a boy I lived on Barbour Street

Four blocks from that circus show

C F C

And I begged my parents, I got down on my knees

G C

But they would not let me go

C F C

For they had grounded me, two weeks straight

Now I can’t even remember why

C F C

But I know the first time I ever prayed

G C

Was when I saw that black smoke in the sky

[Verse 10]

Am F C G

And the war it was over in a year, I guess

Am F C G

But the people in my town didn’t cheer like the rest

C F C

It still breaks our hearts to remember now

G C

When the circus came to Hartfordtown

[Outro]

C F C G C

About Hartfordtown 1944 Chords by Mark Erelli

Learn how to play Hartfordtown 1944 by Mark Erelli with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Hartfordtown 1944 chords”, “Hartfordtown 1944 guitar chords”, or “Mark Erelli Hartfordtown 1944 chords” and you will find this page — transpose to any key, tap chords for diagrams, and use auto-scroll while you play. Perfect for beginners looking for easy Hartfordtown 1944 chords and for experienced players who want accurate Hartfordtown 1944 lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include C, F, G, A, Am.

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