'Twas quite some time ago,
Since I was hardly full grown,
And I found myself in a traveling circus show.

They called me the Great,
Cheered when I walked through the gate,
Because I was the one for which they would all wait.

With a proud, young grin,
Take my hat by the rim,
Never cease to amaze the ladies and gentlemen.

I met a girl who said she'd only one day be a wife.
So I offered her the glamour of my uprooted life,
She took a vow, a tarnished ring, learned the art of throwing knives.

She carried a kid on the ride,
We sat side by side
Though I didn't know where, when sometimes she'd hide.

Even so young as this
I got myself an apprentice,
Like a brother, who almost finished my every sentence.

We performed all the tricks,
Trade off or switch,
It wasn't long before I could see us as rich.

Then one night, as the show was leaving,
She pulled me aside and with sob-filled pleading,
Begged to stay for the baby that was teething.

Said she would go,
If I left, I'd be alone,
But how could I choose between my love and my home?

I left her late in the night
Snuck away when she closed her eyes.
With that poor old baby who loved to cry and cry.

Then when a few years or so had passed,
And my apprentice had disappeared long back,
I went back to my wee little lass.

But imagine my surprise to see
She had more children than the one from me,
And to think she'd also stolen my dear apprentice, Henry!