Biography:
Mark Erelli (born 1975) is an American folk singer/songwriter from Reading, Massachusetts now living in Portland, Maine. His album, Hope & Other Casualties, is a collection of folk and Americana songs with stylistic arrangements, including "The Only Way", written in response to the September 11, 2001 attack and covered by Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert.
On "Compass & Companion", Mark partnered with Kelly Willis for the title song.
He regularly tours in support of Kris Delmhorst
Read more on Last.fm
Other songs:
- 23Rd Street
- A Bend In The River
- Abraham
- Aint No Time Of Year To Be Alone
- All Behind Me Now
- Almost Home
- Alright For Now
- Analog Hero
- August
- Baltimore
- Basement Days
- Before I Knew Your Name
- Billy Gray
- Birches
- Blue
- Brand New Baby
- Call You Home
- Close Your Eyes
- Coming Home
- Compass And Companion
- Defying Gravity
- Evenings Curtain
- Five Beer Moon
- Ghost
- Hartfordtown 1944
- Hemlock Grove
- Here And Now
- Hope Dies Last
- Ice Fishing
- Ichabod
- Imaginary Wars
- Innocent When You Dream
- Kingdom Come
- Little Sister
- Midnight Train
- My Best Was Just Not Good Enough For You
- My Darling
- Northern Star
- Only Wondering Where You Are
- Passing Through
- Pauline
- Pilgrim Highway
- Pretend
- Snowed In
- The Only Way
- Tired Eyes
- Tom Merritt
- Undone
- Volunteers
- Why Should I Cry
- Wyoming Wind
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
Mark Erelli - Hartfordtown 1944
CAPO: 4th fret
[Intro]
C F C G C
[Verse 1]
F C
It was a dry and dusty summer day
G
When that wagon train pulled in
C F C
Just three hours 'til the matinee
G C
Was scheduled to begin
F C
As the razorbacks unloaded the flats
G
A crowd did gather to see
C F C
The elephants tow the wagons back
G C
To that empty lot on Barbour Street
[Verse 2]
Am F C G
And the canvas-men they dug right in
Am F C G
'Til on that spot where nothing had been
C F C
You could see the big-top from miles around
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 3]
F C
The circus it was front page news
G
Back in Nineteen Forty-Four
C F C
Everyone was grateful for any excuse
G C
To forget about the war
F C
The sun beat down on the menagerie
G
In the cages the animals paced
C F C
There was orangeade and cotton candy
G C
And a smile on every kid’s face
[Verse 4]
Am F C G
Each mother and father, each boy and girl
Am F C G
They couldn't wait to see the greatest show in the world
C F C
You could barely hear the orchestra, they cheered so loud
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 5]
F C
There were polar bears and panther cats
G
With great big fangs and claws
C F C
And the lions did a balancing act
G C
To jubilant applause
F C
Then a spotlight played on a platform set
G
So high up in the air
C F C
That everybody held their breath
G C
And they prayed a silent prayer
[Verse 6]
Am F C G
All eyes were glued to the man on the wire
Am F C G
So nobody knew when the tent caught fire
C F C
Too slowly it dawned on the sold-out crowd
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 7]
F C
The fire drew air and began to climb
G
The audience jumped from their seats
C F C
There was a stampede for the exit sign
G C
And some fainted from the heat
F C
There were heroes who did their best to help
G
The children escape the flames
C F C
And the others who managed to save themselves
G C
They survived but were never the same
[Verse 8]
Am F C G
And some still remember how the animals cried
Am F C G
But there weren't any animals inside
C F C
Over 100 people trapped as the tent burned down
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 9]
F C
As a boy I lived on Barbour Street
G
Four blocks from that circus show
C F C
And I begged my parents, I got down on my knees
G C
But they would not let me go
C F C
For they had grounded me, two weeks straight
G
Now I can’t even remember why
C F C
But I know the first time I ever prayed
G C
Was when I saw that black smoke in the sky
[Verse 10]
Am F C G
And the war it was over in a year, I guess
Am F C G
But the people in my town didn’t cheer like the rest
C F C
It still breaks our hearts to remember now
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Outro]
C F C G C
CAPO: 4th fret
[Intro]
C F C G C
[Verse 1]
F C
It was a dry and dusty summer day
G
When that wagon train pulled in
C F C
Just three hours 'til the matinee
G C
Was scheduled to begin
F C
As the razorbacks unloaded the flats
G
A crowd did gather to see
C F C
The elephants tow the wagons back
G C
To that empty lot on Barbour Street
[Verse 2]
Am F C G
And the canvas-men they dug right in
Am F C G
'Til on that spot where nothing had been
C F C
You could see the big-top from miles around
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 3]
F C
The circus it was front page news
G
Back in Nineteen Forty-Four
C F C
Everyone was grateful for any excuse
G C
To forget about the war
F C
The sun beat down on the menagerie
G
In the cages the animals paced
C F C
There was orangeade and cotton candy
G C
And a smile on every kid’s face
[Verse 4]
Am F C G
Each mother and father, each boy and girl
Am F C G
They couldn't wait to see the greatest show in the world
C F C
You could barely hear the orchestra, they cheered so loud
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 5]
F C
There were polar bears and panther cats
G
With great big fangs and claws
C F C
And the lions did a balancing act
G C
To jubilant applause
F C
Then a spotlight played on a platform set
G
So high up in the air
C F C
That everybody held their breath
G C
And they prayed a silent prayer
[Verse 6]
Am F C G
All eyes were glued to the man on the wire
Am F C G
So nobody knew when the tent caught fire
C F C
Too slowly it dawned on the sold-out crowd
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 7]
F C
The fire drew air and began to climb
G
The audience jumped from their seats
C F C
There was a stampede for the exit sign
G C
And some fainted from the heat
F C
There were heroes who did their best to help
G
The children escape the flames
C F C
And the others who managed to save themselves
G C
They survived but were never the same
[Verse 8]
Am F C G
And some still remember how the animals cried
Am F C G
But there weren't any animals inside
C F C
Over 100 people trapped as the tent burned down
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Verse 9]
F C
As a boy I lived on Barbour Street
G
Four blocks from that circus show
C F C
And I begged my parents, I got down on my knees
G C
But they would not let me go
C F C
For they had grounded me, two weeks straight
G
Now I can’t even remember why
C F C
But I know the first time I ever prayed
G C
Was when I saw that black smoke in the sky
[Verse 10]
Am F C G
And the war it was over in a year, I guess
Am F C G
But the people in my town didn’t cheer like the rest
C F C
It still breaks our hearts to remember now
G C
When the circus came to Hartfordtown
[Outro]
C F C G C
Mark Free
Mark Fry
Mark Geary
Mark Germino
Mark Gillespie