Track 1 on No More Clownin'
No More Clownin
Built on 1 Corinthians 3:18, Proverbs 1:7, and Proverbs 10:21
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The study behind the song
Built on 1 Corinthians 3:18, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 10:21, and 1 Corinthians 4:10.
No More Clownin opens at the circus gate with a barker's cry and a line the song credits to P.T. Barnum: a fool is born every minute. From there Doulos of Jesus works through the dictionary meanings of "fool": the blockhead short on judgment, the jester in the king's court, the gullible stooge taken in by others. Each one is a picture of a life spent performing for the crowd.
Then the song turns to Scripture. Proverbs 1:7 says fools despise wisdom and instruction, and Proverbs 10:21 warns that fools die for lack of wisdom. Against that stands Paul's surprising counsel in 1 Corinthians 3:18: let no one deceive himself; whoever seems wise in this age should become a fool in order to become truly wise.
The closing verse names two kinds of fools: the unthinking one trapped in the act, and the one who loves Christ while the world laughs, echoing Paul's "fools for Christ's sake." The chorus drives home the call to wake up, drop the painted smile, stop playing a part, and let God's wisdom settle in the heart.
02Sing along
Lyrics
"Step right up! Step right up! A fool is born every minute!"
Listen up close, let's talk about the fools
F-O-O-L-S breaking all the rules
Anthony Newley sang it, top of the charts
"What kind of a fool am I" tearing up hearts
P.T. Barnum saw the circus, came to this place
Said a fool is born every minute to the human race
Said the American people love to play the game
"And that's how Barnum and Bailey built a giant name!"
But it's time to wake up, yeah, the clock is loud
No more clownin' for the circus and the crowd
Drop the painted smile, let the truth restart
Feel the heavy bass sinking deep into your heart
No more clownin', no more playing the part
Let the rhythm sway, put the wisdom in your heart
Look it up in the pages, check the synonym book
At the blockheads and the chumps where the judgment shook
Nitwits, nincompoops, simpletons in line
Deficient in their judgment, running out of time
Definition number three: a professional jester
"Hey! Look at the clown!"
A clown in the court where the wounds start to fester
Definition number four: a gullible stooge
Imposed upon by others and the damage is huge
But First Corinthians three and verse eighteen
Says let no man deceive what his own eyes have seen
If you seem to be wise, let the worldly pride fall
Become a fool to the world to be wise to it all
Proverbs ten twenty-one, the ignorance is deep
Fools die for want of wisdom while the neighborhood sleeps
Proverbs one seven, they despise the truth
Clownin' through their old age, clownin' through their youth
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"]
But it's time to wake up, yeah, the clock is loud
No more clownin' for the circus and the crowd
Drop the painted smile, let the truth restart
Feel the heavy bass sinking deep into your heart
No more clownin', no more playing the part
Let the rhythm sway, put the wisdom in your heart
Two kinds of fools on this earthly stage
One is unthinking, trapped inside the cage
The other loves Christ, let the world laugh and jeer
They call us a fool, but the vision is clear
No more clowning! "The show is over!"
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