Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Mary The Elephant Lyrics by Chuck Brodsky

Tulips For Lunch

2006

In the Sparks Brothers Circus
They smoked only cheap cigars
A two bit traveling circus
10 to 15 railroad cars
With a not so high high wire
And some leaks around the tent
Educated sea lions
And four or five elephants
In the Clinch River Valley
A little mining town
Not too far from Kingsport
There's no one still around
That can tell it like it happened
And just stick to the facts
Not get mixed up with legends
Or start filling in the cracks
Red was Mary's handler
They'd hired him that day
He'd rode in on a box car
And he just sort of stayed
He got a job as janitor
At the Riverside Hotel
Until the circus came to town
He bid everyone farewell
He knew nothing about elephants
But what was there to know?
They were big, they were dumb
And they walked kind of slow
They had trunks for grabbing peanuts
And to stuff them in their mouths
He figured that was pretty much all
You need to know about 'em
So they handed Red a stick
For the afternoon parade
Only once did he whack Mary
It was his only mistake
She wrapped her trunk around him
Threw him to the ground
Stepped upon his head
There were children all around
Now contrary to the rumors
She was never tried
She never was convicted
Of any homicide
She never went to prison
No one sentenced her to hang
Like the storytellers told it
And the singers often sang
It was front page in the papers
From Statesville to Little Rock
From barbershops to filling stations
Mary was the talk
Sparks Brothers Circus
They just couldn’t be going around
With such an unpredictable creature
They would have to put her down
It's said they fired bullets
But it was too small a gun
They tried some electricity
But she wasn’t even stunned
It was all done in the spirit of
Good clean family fun
In the entertainment business
You give the people what they want
They shipped Mary in a railcar
To Erwin, Tennessee
They advertised a hanging
3000 came to see
The ringleader announced
It would be in the railroad yard
When the matinee was over
And there'd be no extra charge
They left her hanging half an hour
Till somebody got her down
The people got their money's worth
Pity the poor clowns
Who weren’t really smiling
When they dumped her in a grave
That had been dug by a steam shovel
And was as big as a cave
The town won’t put a marker
Above where Mary lies
They don’t want the attention
Or lawsuits to arise
She never went to prison
No court sentenced her to hang
Like some storytellers told it
And some singers often sang
In the Sparks Brothers Circus
They smoked only cheap cigars
A two bit traveling circus
10 to 15 railroad cars
Credits
Chuck Brodsky

Chuck Brodsky

About “Mary The Elephant” by Chuck Brodsky

Read the complete lyrics to "Mary The Elephant" by Chuck Brodsky from the album "Tulips For Lunch" in 2006. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Aa (Check Description), Americana, Folk Rock.

"Mary The Elephant" is performed by Chuck Brodsky. from the album "Tulips For Lunch" in 2006 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Mary The Elephant", explore more songs by Chuck Brodsky using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Chuck Brodsky · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Mary The Elephant" is credited to Chuck Brodsky. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Mary The Elephant" appears on "Tulips For Lunch" in 2006.

Visit the Chuck Brodsky artist page at /artist/chuck-brodsky for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.