The Decemberists
Lyric guide

My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist

Read My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist lyrics by The Decemberists on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

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Page type: lyric reference Artist: The Decemberists Canonical path: /the-decemberists/my-mother-was-a-chinese-trapeze-artist Related lyric paths: 6 Video embedded: yes
Lyrics

My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist

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My mother was a chinese trapeze artist

In pre-war paris

Smuggling bombs for the underground.

And she met my father

At a fete in aix-en-provence.

He was disguised as a russian cadet

In the employ of the axis.

And there in the half-light

Of the provincial midnight

To a lone concertina

They drank in cantinas

And toasted to edith piaf

And the fall of the reich.

My sister was born in a hovel in burgundy

And left for the cattle

But later was found by a communist

Who'd deserted his ranks

To follow his dream

To start up a punk rock band in south carolina.

I get letters sometimes.

They bought a plantation

She weeds the tobacco

He offends the nation

And they write: don't be a stranger, y'hear

Sincerely, your sister

So my parents had me

To the disgust of the prostitutes

On a bed in a brothel

Surprisingly raised with tender care

'Til the money got tight

And they bet me away

To a blind brigadier in a game

Of high stakes canasta

But he made me a sailor

On his brigadier ship fleet

I know every yardarm

From main mast to jib sheet

But sometimes I long to be landlocked

And to work in a bakery

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Who performs "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist"?

The Decemberists performs "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist", and this lyric page sits inside the The Decemberists catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist"?

Yes. The related section below points to A Bower Scene and Like A Lion with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by The Decemberists?

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