Hugo The Human Cannonball

Well, they came to town

With their elephants and clowns

On a hit sticky August day

And every telephone pole

Had a poster that told

Of the thrills that were coming our way

There were trapeze fliers

And men that ate fire

And things we never dreamed existed

And the radio and TV

Told us we’d be

Fools if we dared to miss it.

Now all three rings

Held wondrous things

Marvels of every invention

But the big long shrouded

Shape in the corner

Increasingly drew our attention

There were bareback riders

Lions and tigers

And clowns in their itty bitty car

But every woman and man

And child in the stand

Had come to see the star

Then a hush fell on the crowd

As the men pulled the shroud

From the muzzle that was 30 feet long

And to screams and cheers

He finally appeared

And flamboyantly bowed to the throng

He wore red sequined tights

That sparkled in the lights

And boots that came to his knees

And a chromium

football helmet

And a cape that flapped in the breeze

And the dazzled crowd

Shouted out loud

You could hear them one and all

We want Hugo!

Hugo! Hugo!

The Human Cannonball

The aim was carefully calculated

The trajectory was precise

The charge was carefully measured

And poured into the loading device

The fuse was trimmed, the lights were dimmed

Hugo slid down the barrel and then

All was ready and Hugo’s daddy

Counted down from

Ten!

And the drums rolled

Nine

And our blood ran cold

Eight!

The ambulance stood by

Seven!

Several woman cried

Six!

The spotlight hit the net

Five!

No one would ever forget

Four!

Eternity passed

Three!

Every heart beat fast

Two!

And Hugo’s daddy said, “Are you ready Hugo?”

One!

And from the bowels of the gun, “I’m a-ready, Papa!”

Boom!

Well, fire and smoke belched

Out of the cannon

And the earth trembled for a while

And the big gun roared

And Hugo soared

Through the air like a projectile.

Two hundred and fifty

Feet he flew

Like an Air Force fighter jet

But at the apex

Of his trajectory

He knew he’s gonna miss the net

Oh! Arms flailing

He kept on sailing

A terrified screaming creature

And the crowd scattered

As Hugo splattered

All over the upper bleacher

In the aftermath

Of this tragic event

Disbelief filled every face

There was Hugo

And there was Hugo

There was Hugo all over the place!

Well, the dust has

Finally settled and

The smoke has finally cleared

Hugo’s name

And Hugo’s fame

Will always be revered

But no one

Ever too his place

No matter who they were

Because they never found

Another man

Of Hugo’s – caliber

The Circus’ main attraction

The greatest star of all

Was Hugo!

Hugo!

The Human Cannonball!