The Clown’s Prayer is a poem written as a poem used by comedians for inspiration. There were a number of prayers called by that name.
The author of the prayer is unknown. The prayer is known in several versions, and a number of comedians, including comedian Chris Farley, who was known to have carried this prayer with him in his wallet. At Stan Laurel’s funeral, Dick Van Dyke recited the clown’s prayer as an obituary.
Clowns International hosts a service every year on the first Sunday in February at The Clowns’ Church in London, and they recite a version of the Clown’s Prayer then.
The Clown’s Prayer
It goes as follows:
As I stumble through this life,
The Clown’s Prayer
help me to create more laughter than tears,
dispense more happiness than gloom,
spread more cheer than despair.
Never let me become so indifferent,
that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child,
or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.
Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people,
make them happy, and forget momentarily,
all the unpleasantness in their lives.
And in my final moment,
may I hear You whisper:
“When you made My people smile,
you made Me smile.”
Occasionally the following verse is inserted between the third and fourth verses above:
Never let me acquire success to the point that
I discontinue calling on my Creator in the hour of need,
Acknowledging and thanking Him in the hour of plenty.
The Clown’s Oath
The Clowns of America organization has created The Eight Clown Commandments. It can be summed up in the following oath:
I do hereby promise that while in Clown makeup and costume, I will not swear, use abusive language, smoke, use drugs or drink alcoholic beverages. I will always look my best when in makeup and will always stay in a full wardrobe while in public. I will always bend to entertain a child or person less fortunate and will treat all with dignity and happiness.
The Clown’s Oath
The full list of clown commandments:
- I will keep my acts, performance and behavior in good taste while I am in costume and makeup. I will remember at all times that I have been accepted as a member of the clown club only to provide others, principally children, with clean clown comedy entertainment. I will remember that a good clown entertains others by making fun of himself or herself and not at the expense or embarrassment of others.
- I will learn to apply my makeup in a professional manner. I will provide my own costume. I will carry out my appearance and assignment for the entertainment of others and not for personal gain or personal publicity when performing for either the International club or alley events. I will always try to remain anonymous while in makeup and costume as a clown, though there may be circumstances when it is not reasonably possible to do so.
- I will neither drink alcoholic beverages nor smoke while in makeup or clown costume. Also, I will not drink alcoholic beverages prior to any clown appearances. I will conduct myself as a gentleman/lady, never interfering with other acts, events, spectators, or individuals. I will not become involved in or tolerate sexual harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or any protected status.
- I will remove my makeup and change into my street clothes as soon as possible following my appearance, so that I cannot be associated with any incident that may be detrimental to the good name of clowning. I will conduct myself as a gentleman/lady at all times.
- While on appearance in makeup and costume, I will carry out the directives of the producer or his designated deputies. I will abide by all performance rules without complaint in public.
- I will do my very best to maintain the best clown standards of makeup, costuming, properties, and comedy.
- I will appear in as many clown shows as I possibly can.
- I will be committed to providing an atmosphere free of discrimination and harassment for clowns of all ages to share ideas and learn about the art of clowning.
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