Elvira was a circus girl who walked a tightrope bravely.
She travelled through Europe and she knew what men were for.
He was in the cavalry,
wore a braid upon his two legs,
A handsome bearded horseman who had never been to war.
You would say if you met them they were golden-eyed children,
For the one thing they wanted they gave up health and fame.
God help Elvira
and God help her lover,
And God help anyone who tries to do the same.
He left his wife and children and the regiment behind him,
Stripped the braid from his tunic,
tossed his buttons on the ground.
She
left the roaring
crowds and nights of the circus To go
with a deserter and run from town to town.
For many years through time they thought they'd found their safety,
A room to love and shelter from the wind and the rain.
He let a knock on the door,
a
face at the window,
And then is the time they were on the move again.
You would say if you met them they were golden-eyed children,
For the one thing they wanted they gave up health and fame.
God help Elvira and God help her lover,
And God help anyone who tries to do the same.
She sold her last possessions and bought her loaf and butter,
He robbed her henhouse and they left once more to roam.
In the middle of a meadow
they both sat down to picnic,
When he touched Elvira she was cold as a stone.
Elvira knew the pistol was hidden in the basket,
She whispered to her lover,
make it soon,
make it soon.
Elvira chased a butterfly and caught it in her fingers,
She fell from the tightrope and the audience went home.
You would say if you met them they were golden-eyed children,
For the one thing they wanted they gave up health and fame.
God help Elvira
and God help her lover,
And God help anyone who
tries to do the same.