This is the story of Hyacinthe and the contortionist
Step back for a moment Take an alternate view Step back for a moment (Step back) Ain’t always easy to do
(Chapter one) Hyacinthe was born of the circus She was raised telling the fortunes of all Her daddy tamed lions Said he wasn’t scared of dying But he was scared to death of her crystal ball
She’d say: “you’re caging up the king of the jungle, daddy And that behavior, it never ends well” She saw there’d come a time When the lions would dine on him And she couldn’t bring him back with no spell
And he would tease the crowd “Step back, if they’re hungry, they’ll attack” “Ain’t that life”
Step back for a moment Take an alternate view Step back for a moment Ain’t always easy to do Step back, step back (Chapter two) Step back, step back
She started waking up sweaty in terror Dreaming blood on the walls every night She’d seen whole damn scene Every roar, every scream Those lions licked up every drop of his light
No, she didn’t do well with her daddy gone The fortunes got darker each day She’d be looking at a palm See everything that could go wrong And the nightmares they weren’t going away
That’s when she’d say “Step back, if they’re hungry, they’ll attack” “Ain’t that life”
Step back for a moment Take an alternate view Step back for a moment Ain’t always easy to do
It was pissing rain outside of Denton Her pain seemed never ending A broken life, she had no friends In those lions and they were whispering to her “C’mon kid, come a lil’ closer”
She stuck her neck into that lion cage She smelled their breath all hot with rage She recoiled screaming “I’ve gone too far” But her head got stuck between those bars
And that’s it, that’s the last thing she remembers
Karloff the contortionist Had a body type you couldn’t miss Skinny like a hose Always walking on his hands (Boop, boop, boop)
But he saw eye to eye with Hyacinthe Upside down and outside in They talked about the sacrifice A circus life demands
They kissed in the elephant’s cage They touched knees in the petting zoo hay He could pop out his elbows But his head was on straight He’d put his face between his legs and say
Step back, step back Step back, step back Step back
Step back for a moment Take an alternate view Step back for a moment Ain’t always easy to do Step back, step back Step back, step back This has been the story Step back, step back Of Hyacinthe and the contortionist Step back, step back Step back, step back