The Man On The Flying Trapeze chords by Donald Peers

Chords with lyrics

Lyrics by George Leybourne, with music by Gaston Lyle - 1867

D7D7 G+G     E7E7     C majorC
Oh, once I was happy, but now I'm forlorn,
D7D7            G+G      D7D7
Like an old coat that is tatter'd and torn.
  G+G      E7E7      C majorC
I'm left in this wide world to fret and to mourn,
D7D7            G+G
Betrayed by a maid in her teens.

E minorEm        B7B7      E minorEm
Now this girl that I loved, she was handsome and swell,
   E minorEm     B7B7      E minorEm
And I tried all I knew her to please;
   E minorEm     B7B7       E minorEm     A7A7
But I never could please her one quarter so well,
    A7A7          D7D7
As that man on the flying trapeze.

Chorus:
    G+G       E7E7       A7A7
Oh, he flies thro' the air with the greatest of ease,
   D7D7           G+G     D7D7
The daring young man on the flying trapeze.
   G+G       E7E7      A7A7
His movements are graceful; all girls he does please,
  D7D7            G+G
And my love he has purloined away.

Now the young man by name was Sefior Boni Slang,
Tall, big and handsome, as well made as Chang.
Where'er he appeared, how the hall loudly rang,
With ovations from all people there.

Chorus

He'd smile from the bar on the people below
And one night he smiled on my love,
She winked back at him, and she shouted "Bravo!"
As he hung by his nose from above.

Chorus

Her father and mother were both on my side
And tried very hard to make her my bride.
Her father, he sighed, and her mother, she cried
To see her throw herself away.

Chorus

'Twas all no avail, she went there ev'ry night
And threw her bouquets on the stage,
Which caused him to meet her—how he ran me down,
To tell it would take a whole page.

Chorus

One night I as usual went to her dear home,
And found there her mother and father alone.
I asked for my love, and soon 'twas made known,
To my horror, that she'd run away.

Chorus

She packed up her boxes and eloped in the night,
With him with the greatest of ease.
From two stories high he had lowered her down
To the ground on his flying trapeze.

Chorus

Some months after that I went into a hall;
To my surprise I found there on the wall
A augmentedA bill in red letters which did my heart gall,
That she was appearing with him.

Chorus

He'd taught her gymnastics, and dressed her in tights
To help him live at ease.
He'd made her assume a masculine name,
And now she goes on the trapeze.

Final Chorus:
She floats through the air with the greatest of ease;
You'd think her a man on the flying trapeze.
She does all the work while he takes his ease,
And that's what's become of my love.