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Hartfordtown 1944 by 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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
G
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
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