A showman's life is a smoky bar, And the fevered chase of a tiny star, It's a hotel room and a lonely wife From what I've seen of a showman's life Nobody told me about this part They told me all about the pretty girls and the wine And the money and the good times No mention of all the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart And I might have known it But nobody told me about this part A boy will dream as children do Of a great white way, 'til the dream comes true But a phony smile in a colored light Is all it is to a showman's life Nobody told me about this part They told me all about the pretty girls and the wine And the money and the good times No mention of all the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart And I might have known it But nobody told me about this part Nobody told me about this part They told me all about the pretty girls and the wine And the money and the good times No mention of all the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart And I might have known it But nobody told me about this part I might have known it But nobody told me about this part