“Send In the Clowns” was written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music, but it became widely known when Judy Collins released her version in 1975. It tells the story of someone who realizes too late that she’s in love with a man she once rejected. When she’s finally ready to commit, he’s moved on.
“Send In the Clowns” was also recorded by Frank Sinatra and many others, but Collins’ version became the most famous. She turned this theater ballad into a major pop hit.
Below is a section-by-section breakdown of the lyrics in “Send In the Clowns.”
- Song: Send In the Clowns
- Artist: Judy Collins
- Songwriter: Stephen Sondheim
- Released: 1975
- Album: Judith
- Genre: Pop
“Send In the Clowns” Meaning: Line by Line
Verse 1: An Out of Sync Relationship
Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground, you in mid-air
The beginning is filled with a sarcastic kind of disbelief. She is ready to commit, while he’s still detached or unwilling to settle down. In the story, he is with a much younger woman at this point.
Their lives are moving in opposite directions just when she hoped they would align.
Where are the clowns?
The “clowns” symbolize the absurdity of the moment. In the theater, clowns are called in to cover a mistake or failure, and here she’s mocking herself.
It’s a way of saying, “Cue the fools, because this has turned into a farce.”
Verse 2: Two Opposite Lives
Isn’t it bliss?
Don’t you approve?
One who keeps tearing around, one who can’t move
She’s again describing how out of sync they are. He’s restless, moving from one thing to another, while she feels paralyzed, stuck in her own regret.
She’s bitter over how their roles have flipped.
Where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns
The idea of “clowns” returns, highlighting the ridiculousness of the situation. It’s her way of coping with humiliation, using wit to mask pain.
She’s frustrated that something so important is turning out to be such a mess. It feels like a staged performance gone wrong.
Bridge: Realizing Too Late
Just when I’d stopped opening doors
Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours
She had given up on love, assuming that part of her life was over. But she stopped looking for other options, deciding that the man she had wanted all along was the one she had previously pushed away.
The timing couldn’t be worse, which makes the situation sting even more.
Making my entrance again with my usual flair
Sure of my lines
No one is there
She returns to him, feeling confident and ready, delivering her confession with confidence, thinking she knows exactly what to say.
The crushing realization is that he is completely unavailable or unwilling. This makes her sudden moment of certainty and confidence feel ridiculous and wasted, like an actress perfectly delivering her speech to an empty stage.
Verse 3: Acceptance of Blame
Don’t you love farce?
My fault, I fear
I thought that you’d want what I want
Sorry, my dear
She steps back and looks at the disastrous scene, seeing it as a ridiculous play.
She takes the blame for misunderstanding what he needed or wanted, realizing that her wanting him to change his mind was just wishful thinking.
But where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns
Don’t bother, they’re here
She realizes that she is the clown, the fool in the story, or perhaps they both are, playing out this embarrassing comedy of errors. The irony is complete.
Verse 4: Moving On, But Not Fully
Isn’t it rich?
Isn’t it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career?
She looks at the situation again with disbelief, calling it “queer” or strange, to acknowledge that she missed her chance at love.
“Losing my timing this late in my career” means losing her chance at love or happiness when she is an adult and should know better. The failure feels like an embarrassing public stumble.
But where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns
Well, maybe next year
The question hangs in the air, a wish for some cosmic explanation for the terrible timing.
She accepts that the foolishness won’t stop, but she offers a small, distant hope that maybe “next year,” she’ll have better luck in love.
“Send In the Clowns” Song Meaning: The Tragedy of Bad Timing
“Send In the Clowns” is about the crushing disappointment that comes from misaligned timing in a relationship. The song details a situation where a woman finally realizes she wants to be with a man, but only after he is no longer available. It’s about the sad comedy of life and love refusing to follow our plans.
The references to “clowns” and “farce” frame the situation as a ridiculous, almost slapstick tragedy. She feels like a fool for having missed the moment when he wanted her, and she is now left to witness the bitter irony of her own mistaken judgment. It’s a painful recognition that having the right feeling at the wrong time is just as devastating as never having the feeling at all.
Songs Like “Send In the Clowns”
Here are some other songs about lost love, regret, and the irony of timing:
1. “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell
In “Both Sides Now,” Mitchell looks at love and life through the lens of experience, showing how time changes what we once believed to be true.
Related: “Both Sides Now” Song Meaning
2. “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand
Streisand’s hit is about looking back at a past relationship and the heartbreak of knowing that two people who loved each other simply couldn’t make it work.
Related: Songs About Nostalgia
3. “Yesterday” by The Beatles
This classic Beatles tune is about a sudden, overwhelming sense of loss that makes him yearn for the recent past when everything felt simple and right.
Related: Songs About Time
Conclusion: A Song About Irony and Acceptance
“Send In the Clowns” is a reminder that love doesn’t always work out the way we imagine. Timing can ruin even the strongest feelings, leaving us to face our own mistakes. It is a relatable portrait of regret and the devastating realization that some chances at love, once passed, are gone forever.
You can listen to “Send In the Clowns” on Spotify and Amazon.
Check out more 1970s Song Meanings!
“Send In the Clowns” FAQs
What does the phrase “send in the clowns” mean?
The phrase comes from the world of theater and circus. When something goes wrong onstage, clowns are “sent in” to distract the audience and cover the mistake. In the song, it’s used sarcastically to point out how life and love can feel like a tragic comedy when things fall apart.
Why did Stephen Sondheim use the phrase “send in the clowns”?
Sondheim chose it because it perfectly fit the story’s irony. Desirée feels foolish after realizing her mistake, so she uses the phrase to mock herself, as if her own heartbreak were part of a failed performance.
Why does the song refer to the relationship as a “farce”?
She calls the situation a “farce” because their failed romance feels like a ridiculous, exaggerated, and embarrassing comedy. It’s a theatrical term for a silly, over-the-top play.
Is “Send In the Clowns” a love song?
It is a song about love, but it’s not a typical romantic love song. It’s a song about the failure of love due to poor timing and missed chances.
Who first performed “Send In the Clowns”?
The song was originally performed by Glynis Johns in the 1973 Broadway musical A Little Night Music.
