I met you on the Midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear
You were playin' on the horses, you were playin' on the strings;
You were playin' like a devil wearin' wings

Wearin' wings, you looked so grand, wearin' wings
Do you tape them to your shoulders just to sing?
Can you fly? I heard you can. Can you fly?
Like an eagle doin' your huntin' from the sky

I followed with the sideshows to another town
And I saw you on a trailer on the camping grounds
You were betting on some lovers, you were shaking up the dice
And I thought I saw you cheatin' once or twice

Once or twice, I heard your did, once or twice
Were you wond'rin' was the gamble worth the price?
Pack it in, I heard you did, pack it in
Was it hard to fold a hand you knew could win?

So lately you've been hidin', it was somewhere in the news
And I'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and blues
And a voice calls out the numbers, and it sometimes mentions mine;
And I feel like I've been workin' overtime

Over time, I'm gettin' tired, over time
Always playin' one more hand for one more dime
Slowin' down, I'm gettin' tired, slowin' down;
And I envy you the valley that you've found
Cause I'm midway down the Midway
Slowin' down