What it is about your face that irritates them so?
Real people stop and ask
Why you wear that costume and why don't you wear a mask?
Normal folk think you're just a joke
And a freakshow
Normal types cross the street for swipes
At the freakshow
Even birds stop to drop their turds
On the freakshow
Even geeks, even other freaks hate
The freakshow
Real people fume and seethe
How you dare to share the air the public has to breathe
Real people ask you why
With a face like you've got, why don't you jut lie down and-
Real people look on you
Like something unpleasant for the garbage crew to do
Real people question how
Someone took a lobster's face and put it on a cow
Real people say "har-har"
As a monster movie actor, you could be a star
And soon, you are!
References to A Series of Unfortunate Events[]
You're a Freakshow
The theme of this song, as well as a theme appearing throughout The Carnivorous Carnival, is the inherent inhumanity of the freakshow attraction, with the employees being treated as an attraction to be mocked.[1][2][3]
Real people want to know What it is about your face that irritates them so
The repeated use of "Real People" and "Normal People" again references the inhumanity of the freakshow, as it implies that the employees are subhuman.
Normal types cross the street for swipes at the freakshow
Upon it being announced that the freakshow employees would be fed to lions, the crowds increased at the Caligari Carnival, with visitors eager to see "violence and sloppy eating."
Even geeks, even other freaks hate the freakshow
The members of Olaf's troupe, particularly the Hook-Handed Man, are often mistaken for freakshow employees due to their abnormalities. This does not endear them to the employees, and they often lord their power over them instead.
Real people ask you why With a face like you've got, won't you just lie down and-
The rhyme scheme sets up the last end of the chorus to end with “won’t you just lie down and die,” but the stanza ends after the “and” and goes into a whimsical instrumental break. The abrupt stop mimics the unexpected brake of death.[4]
As a monster movie actor, you could be a star And soon, you are!
The crowd that looks on the so-called freakshow think the freak could realistically and successfully play a monster, continuing the idea of the song’s subject not deserving a human identity.[4]
It could also be referring to the freakshow employees becoming "actors" by joining Olaf's acting troupe following the burning of Caligari Carnival.
Trivia[]
This is the second song written to tie into The Carnivorous Carnival. The Gothic Archies originally wrote the song Walking My Gargoyle to be the song for the ninth book, but it was replaced by this one. The song is a bonus track on the album.
