written by Warren Zevon 1995 Zevon Music BMI Every touch is measured out Every word is written down Sunny skies are seldom seen In the land of few and far between And everybody wears a frown Someone lost their squirting rose There's his red nose on the ground No one's seen his painted smile He's been gone for quite a while Something bad happened to a clown Something bad happened to a clown He used to honk his horn and everyone would laugh He used to honk his horn She doesn't think he's very funny anymore Footprints in the sawdust leading to the edge of town Something bad happened to a clown Something bad happened to a clown He used to honk his horn and everyone would laugh He used to honk his horn She doesn't think he's very funny anymore Footprints in the sawdust leading to the edge of town Something bad happened to a clown Something bad happened to a clown