Have you ever been drivin' home, late at night
and found yourself enraptured by a captivating site
the mystical allure of blinkin', twinklin', twirly lights
shinin' in your baby's eyes can seem so right
And that girl, she makes you stop, in that wal-mart parking lot
the smell of sweaty people on the summer's air so hot
you buy a roll of tickets at fifty cents a pop
you're thinkin' that it's gonna be cool, but i'm tellin' you that it's not, no ...
'cause looks can be deceiving if you know what i mean
a shiny patch of happiness may not be what it seems
i learned that lesson long ago, much to my chagrin
but not before the whole damn thing came crashin' to an end
It looked so cool ... looked so fun, i thought
the picture-perfect perch from which to get me some -- the top
but the wheel, it was junk and that carny, he was drunk
and they sent my baby flyin' across the parking lot
Tilt-a-whirl ... it took my girl ... it took my happiness away from me
and it put me in traction, it's the devil's contraption
it's the bane of my existence, fellas, listen to me!
it's no mechanical cupid ... don't be stupid ...
no matter how she begs and whines, don't listen to that girl
if you know how to handle her, you'll ride the scrambler ...
but keep away from that tilt-a-whirl ...
But looks can be deceiving if you know what i mean
a shiny patch of happiness may not be what it seems
i learned that lesson long ago, much to my chagrin
but not before the whole damn thing came crashin' to an end
It looked so cool ... looked so fun, i thought
the picture-perfect perch from which to get me some -- the top
but the wheel, it was junk and that carny, he was drunk
and they sent my baby flyin' across the parking lot
Tilt-a-whirl ... you took my girl ... you took my happiness away from me
and it put me in traction, it's the devil's contraption
it's the bane of my existence, fellas, listen to me!
it's no mechanical cupid ... don't be stupid ...
no matter how she begs and whines, don't listen to that girl
if you know how to handle her, you'll ride the scrambler ...
but keep away from that tilt-a-whirl ...
Tilt-a-whirl ... you took my girl ...
Tilt-a-whirl ... you took my girl ...