Life Is A Circus

Written by: Roger Bunn
Recorded: 1969

Released: 17 May 2019

Available on:
Clareville Grove Demos
The ‘Mercury’ Demos
Conversation Piece

Personnel

David Bowie: vocals, guitar
John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson: guitar, vocals

David Bowie recorded two demos of ‘Life Is A Circus’ in 1969.

The song was written in 1966 by Roger Bunn of American band Djinn. Bowie was familiar with the group after a recommendation from Tony Visconti, and performed the song live in 1968 with Feathers – his trio with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson and Hermione Farthingale.

Feathers featured such material as Lady Midnight, One hundred years from today, When I’m five, Jacques Brel’s songs Port of Amsterdam and Next, and The Ching-a-ling Song. Life is a circus, which David had sung in his cabaret act, was a song that Tony Visconti had heard performed by an American group called Djin [sic], and which he introduced to David. Hutch re-worked it for use by Feathers.

Bowie and Hutch recorded a home demo of ‘Life Is A Circus’ in early 1969, which suggests that it was a contender for Bowie’s second album. The recording was made at Bowie’s home, 22 Clareville Grove in South Kensington, London.

The demo was officially released for the first time in May 2019 in the box set Clareville Grove Demos.

A second demo was recorded by Bowie and Hutch in the spring of 1969, and was also released in 2019 on the album The ‘Mercury’ Demos.

The November 2019 box set Conversation Piece included both demo recordings.

Lyrics

Life is a circus
It’s not a fair
Life is a hard road
When you’re not there
At the fair

Friends come to see me
(With what way shall I go?)
To see the show
(To help my friend and foe
I’ll let them fight me down)
When will they realise?
(To laugh and drag my name on the ground)
The circus must go
(Nothing ever stung so badly)
To defend
(And with what way shall I go?)

Papa, he talks to me
Don’t dry your arm
Gets deep inside you
Does you real harm
Don’t you care?

High tight-rope walker
(With what way shall I go?)
Stands straight and tall
(To help my friend and foe
I’ll let them fight me down)
Don’t lose your balance
(To laugh and drag my name on the ground)
From way to home
(Nothing ever stung so badly)
Crowds don’t care
(And with what way shall I go?)

Life is a circus
It’s not a fair
Life is a hard road
When you’re not there
At the fair
(And with what way shall I go?)