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Clown Strike

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Gmajor

90BPM

Lyrics & ChordsClick chords to see diagrams

[Intro]
G Am G Am
[Verse 1]
GShe`ll fix you with an Amiron cross
GAnd cover you up with Ampetals
GAnd hang you up with some Amamber beads
GAnd four or five precious Ammetals
GAnd in that black flaAmmingo chair
GYou`ll sit among her Amtrophies
GAnd pray to be Amabandoned
GTill you don`t know what Amhope is
[Chorus]
GBut there`s one Cthing that I Emhad to keep inAmside
GBecause I was Cshaking
Why Emdon`t you get some Ampride
There was a Emclown strike
EmAnd the clowns threw down their tools
But you Cdon`t have to play so hard
EmAnd I`m nobody`s fool
You don`t Ghave to go so Am7far
`Cause I lGove Am7you as you GarAm7e
[Verse 2]
The Gbig top is deAmserted now
And the Gcircus girl Amrehearses
GShe knows how to Amturn their heads
And Gnot fall between Amtwo horses
But Gall that seems a Amsimple step
GIf only I were Amable
To Glove you like I Amwant to do
And Gnot by some times Amtable
[Chorus]
GBut there`s one Cthing that I Emhad to keep inAmside
GBecause I was Cshaking
Why Emdon`t you get some Ampride
There was a Emclown strike
EmAnd the clowns threw down their tools
But you Cdon`t have to play so hard
EmAnd I`m nobody`s fool
You don`t Ghave to go so Am7far
`Cause I lGove Am7you as you GarAm7e
[Refrain]
And it`s Cpandemonium
For the Am7humble and the Gmighty
You don`t Amhave to G/Btumble Cfor me
CmEven a clown knows when to Emstrike
[Verse 3]
GTell me what you Amwant of me
Or are you Gterrified of Amfailure?
GYou put on a supersAmtitious face
GBehind all this parapherAmnalia
GWe`re not living in a Ammasquerade
Where Gyou only have three Amwishes
GIt isn't Ameasy to see
In a Glifetime of mistaken Amkisses
[Chorus]
GBut there`s one Cthing that I Emhad to keep inAmside
GBecause I was Cshaking
Why Emdon`t you get some Ampride
There was a Emclown strike
EmAnd the clowns threw down their tools
But you Cdon`t have to play so hard
EmAnd I`m nobody`s fool
You don`t Ghave to go so Am7far
`Cause I lGove Am7you as you GarAm7e
[Refrain]
In this it`s Cpandemonium
For the Am7humble and the Gmighty
You don`t Amhave to G/Btumble Cfor me
CmEven a clown knows when to Emstrike

All chords in this song (7)

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Clown Strike

by Elvis Costello

Lyrics & chords · Original key

Chords in this song · guitar

Am7

G/B

[Intro]

G Am G Am

[Verse 1]

G Am

She`ll fix you with an iron cross

G Am

And cover you up with petals

G Am

And hang you up with some amber beads

G Am

And four or five precious metals

G Am

And in that black flamingo chair

G Am

You`ll sit among her trophies

G Am

And pray to be abandoned

G Am

Till you don`t know what hope is

[Chorus]

G C Em Am

But there`s one thing that I had to keep inside

G C

Because I was shaking

Em Am

Why don`t you get some pride

There was a clown strike

And the clowns threw down their tools

But you don`t have to play so hard

And I`m nobody`s fool

G Am7

You don`t have to go so far

G Am7 G Am7

`Cause I love you as you are

[Verse 2]

G Am

The big top is deserted now

G Am

And the circus girl rehearses

G Am

She knows how to turn their heads

G Am

And not fall between two horses

G Am

But all that seems a simple step

G Am

If only I were able

G Am

To love you like I want to do

G Am

And not by some times table

[Chorus]

G C Em Am

But there`s one thing that I had to keep inside

G C

Because I was shaking

Em Am

Why don`t you get some pride

There was a clown strike

And the clowns threw down their tools

But you don`t have to play so hard

And I`m nobody`s fool

G Am7

You don`t have to go so far

G Am7 G Am7

`Cause I love you as you are

[Refrain]

And it`s pandemonium

Am7 G

For the humble and the mighty

Am G/B C

You don`t have to tumble for me

Cm Em

Even a clown knows when to strike

[Verse 3]

G Am

Tell me what you want of me

G Am

Or are you terrified of failure?

G Am

You put on a superstitious face

G Am

Behind all this paraphernalia

G Am

We`re not living in a masquerade

G Am

Where you only have three wishes

G Am

It isn't easy to see

G Am

In a lifetime of mistaken kisses

[Chorus]

G C Em Am

But there`s one thing that I had to keep inside

G C

Because I was shaking

Em Am

Why don`t you get some pride

There was a clown strike

And the clowns threw down their tools

But you don`t have to play so hard

And I`m nobody`s fool

G Am7

You don`t have to go so far

G Am7 G Am7

`Cause I love you as you are

[Refrain]

In this it`s pandemonium

Am7 G

For the humble and the mighty

Am G/B C

You don`t have to tumble for me

Cm Em

Even a clown knows when to strike

About Clown Strike Chords by Elvis Costello

Learn how to play Clown Strike by Elvis Costello with free guitar chords, lyrics, and interactive chord diagrams. Search for “Clown Strike chords”, “Clown Strike guitar chords”, or “Elvis Costello Clown Strike 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 Clown Strike chords and for experienced players who want accurate Clown Strike lyrics and chords in one place. Common chords in this song include G, Am, C, Em, Am7, G/B.

FAQ — Clown Strike by Elvis Costello

How do I play "Clown Strike" by Elvis Costello on guitar?

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Is "Clown Strike" easy to play on guitar?

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What key is "Clown Strike" in?

The chords for "Clown Strike" show the original chord names (including G, Am, C, Em, Am7, G/B). Use transpose to move the song into any key that fits your voice or capo.