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Carnival Glass

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[Intro]
D  F#m  D  F#m
[Verse]
DThey F#msay little girls fall in love with their fathers;
F#mWell, my daddy was a carnie with a traveling show.
F#mSideshow prince, the king of the midway --
F#mMy mama was a one-night stand in Idaho.
DMama F#mdid her best with what my daddy gave her,
F#mTaught me right from wrong and told me to behave.
F#mI tried to be good, but my best couldn't save her,
F#mAnd I hit the road while Mama was still warm in her grave.
[Chorus]
DA ticket to the freakshow if you please,
AI've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.
DThere's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.
The Aangels take the Egood, the devil F#mtakes his own.
[Verse]
F#mThey say little girls are all sugar and sunshine;
F#mWell, I was made of ticket stubs and carnival glass.
F#mPlay to win, follow the Dlady --
A dollar and a quarter F#mfor an all-night pass.
F#mI struck out to the west without a glance behind me,
F#mNothing in my pocket but a hand and a prayer.
F#mThe shadows crashed down so the light couldn't find me;
DNo one ever F#mpromised me that life would be fair.
[Chorus]
DA ticket to the freakshow if you please,
DI've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.
DThere's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.
The Aangels take the Egood, the Ddevil takes his oF#mwn.
[Bridge]
D  A  D  A  F#m
[Verse]
F#mThey say little girls should be seen and be silent;
Well, DI was screaming F#mloud enough to turn back the wind.
F#mMiles to go, no rest for the wicked --
DI guess I'm F#mjust my daddy's daughter in the end.
F#mMama's just a phantom on the midnight midway,
DDaddy works the F#mticket booth while I work the crowd.
F#mYou can't change your nature -- I learned that the hard way.
So I'll Dfollow the lady 'til F#mI make Daddy proud.
[Chorus]
DA ticket to the freakshow if you please,
DI've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.
DThere's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.
The Aangels take the Egood, the Ddevil takes his F#mown.
[Outro]
F#mThey say little girls fall in love with their Dfathers;
Well, my daddy was a carnie F#mwith a traveling show.
DSideshow prince, the king of the F#mmidway --
My Emama was a one-night stand in F#mIdaho.

All chords in this song (4)

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Carnival Glass

by Seanan McGuire

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

F#m

[Intro]

D F#m D F#m

[Verse]

D F#m

They say little girls fall in love with their fathers;

F#m

Well, my daddy was a carnie with a traveling show.

F#m

Sideshow prince, the king of the midway --

F#m

My mama was a one-night stand in Idaho.

D F#m

Mama did her best with what my daddy gave her,

F#m

Taught me right from wrong and told me to behave.

F#m

I tried to be good, but my best couldn't save her,

F#m

And I hit the road while Mama was still warm in her grave.

[Chorus]

A ticket to the freakshow if you please,

I've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.

There's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.

A E F#m

The angels take the good, the devil takes his own.

[Verse]

F#m

They say little girls are all sugar and sunshine;

F#m

Well, I was made of ticket stubs and carnival glass.

F#m D

Play to win, follow the lady --

F#m

A dollar and a quarter for an all-night pass.

F#m

I struck out to the west without a glance behind me,

F#m

Nothing in my pocket but a hand and a prayer.

F#m

The shadows crashed down so the light couldn't find me;

D F#m

No one ever promised me that life would be fair.

[Chorus]

A ticket to the freakshow if you please,

I've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.

There's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.

A E D F#m

The angels take the good, the devil takes his own.

[Bridge]

D A D A F#m

[Verse]

F#m

They say little girls should be seen and be silent;

D F#m

Well, I was screaming loud enough to turn back the wind.

F#m

Miles to go, no rest for the wicked --

D F#m

I guess I'm just my daddy's daughter in the end.

F#m

Mama's just a phantom on the midnight midway,

D F#m

Daddy works the ticket booth while I work the crowd.

F#m

You can't change your nature -- I learned that the hard way.

D F#m

So I'll follow the lady 'til I make Daddy proud.

[Chorus]

A ticket to the freakshow if you please,

I've gone and caught my heritage just like a disease.

There's no vaccination for what's bred in the bone.

A E D F#m

The angels take the good, the devil takes his own.

[Outro]

F#m D

They say little girls fall in love with their fathers;

F#m

Well, my daddy was a carnie with a traveling show.

D F#m

Sideshow prince, the king of the midway --

E F#m

My mama was a one-night stand in Idaho.

About Carnival Glass Chords by Seanan McGuire

Learn how to play Carnival Glass by Seanan McGuire with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Carnival Glass chords”, “Carnival Glass guitar chords”, or “Seanan McGuire Carnival Glass 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 Carnival Glass chords and for experienced players who want accurate Carnival Glass lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include D, F#m, A, E.

FAQ — Carnival Glass by Seanan McGuire

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Can I transpose "Carnival Glass" to a different key?

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Is "Carnival Glass" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Carnival Glass" in?

The chords for "Carnival Glass" show the original chord names (including D, F#m, A, E). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.