[Verse 1]

Pretty Elaina, my fair lady

She walked the high wire back in the 80’s

Feathers and sequins, she shined like a chandelier

Hanging from the top tent rafters 'til the spotlight disappeared

[Verse 2]

Harlan Giovanni, what a sight to see

The way he earned her trust was on a twenty-foot trapeze

She fell so hard because he always let her fly

'Til he left her heart suspended in a cotton candy sky

She still don’t know why

[Chorus 1]

Evеry show must end, every circus lеaves town

You don’t know the magic’s gone until the lights go down

Now she’s back in Nacogdoches and I hear she’s doing well

She only misses Harlan when she hears a carousel

[Verse 3]

Pretty Elaina made herself a nest

Her sequins and her secrets buried in her cedar chest

No one around here knows about her other life

Johnny Davis went and made her a mama and a wife

And maybe that’s alright

[Chorus 1]

‘Cause every show must end, every circus leaves town

You don’t know the magic’s gone until the lights go down

Now she’s back in Nacogdoches and I hear she’s doing well

She only misses Harlan when she hears a carousel

[Bridge]

Smith County Fair, mid-September

She walks the midway and smiles when she remembers

[Chorus 2]

Every show must end, every circus leaves town

I didn’t know the magic left 'til all the lights went down

Now I’m back in Nacogdoches and I swear I’m doing well

I only miss my Harlan when I hear a carousel

I only miss my Harlan when I hear the carousel