Little man with his eyes on fire
And his smile so bright.
In his hands are the toys you gave
To fill his heart with delight.
And in the ring stands a circus clown
Holding up a knife.
What you see and what you will hear
Will last you for the rest of your life.
And it's sad so sad
There ain't no easy way round.
And it's sad so sad
All you friends gather round
'Cause the circus left town.
Little man with his heart so pure
And his love so fine.
Stick with me and I'll ride with you
Till the end of the line.
Hold my hand and I'll walk with you
Through the darkest night.
When I smile I'll be thinking of you
And every little thing will be all right.
Chorus
Chorus
The circus left town, left town.
The circus left town, left town [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/e/eric_clapton/circus.html ]
The parent and child. The parent knows he is to let the child feel safe and secure from harm, and is to do so during the child's whole life. When the chips are down, times become difficult through pain or fear the parent feels capable of helping the child through some kind of turbulence ahead.
In the second verse i feel that the tables are turned. The child has grown and the parent who is old or older is experiencing fear or sorts of insecurity. The child in turn does the same for the parent as the parent did for him/her and says, "hey papa (or mama) let me help. Lean on me for a change. "