Hartford History

Hartford CT

A song by Curtis Eller's American Circus

He provides this commentary on the lyrics: "Obviously, the last two stanzas are only related to the fire in mood. The first three, however, are a quick snapshot of the event, as imagined almost 60 years after the fact. Incidentally, my father ran a small circus in Detroit in the '70s, and we actually got to meet Herman Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas, who were on the wire at the time of the blaze."

He adds: "I don't normally separate the words from the music, so maybe you can imagine a moderate-tempo waltz as you read the lyrics."

The lead-man stepped out on the wire
Chalk dust in the palms of his hands
And the crowd in the bleachers
Held their breath while he was walking
and Maestro kept a short leash on the band

Well the rigging went up like a match-head
And Karl said, "Boys, don't look down"
It was Hartford Connecticut back in 1944
And that Circus will never leave town

You know the canvas was roaring like thunder
And the ashes still stick to our shoes
And except for the nightmares and the coughing
It's like the Circus never passed through

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There's a five percent grade for three miles
These roads through Virginia like a worm
And your nerves don't mean nothin'
When the boredom overtakes you
And you drift info sleep like a storm

You know the mountains offer nothing but static
No voices to break up this drive
I don't know if you remembered that I was coming
But in the morning I was due to arrive
In the morning I was due to arrive

Copyright 2000, Curtis Eller