Editing Send In the Clowns (section)

===Lyrics===
The lyrics of the song are written in four [[Verse (popular music)|verses]] and a bridge and sung by Desirée. As Sondheim explains, Desirée experiences both deep regret and furious anger:
{{Blockquote|"Send in the Clowns" was never meant to be a soaring ballad; it's a song of regret. And it's a song of a lady who is too upset and too angry to speak – meaning to sing for a very long time. She is furious, but she doesn't want to make a scene in front of Fredrik because she recognizes that his obsession with his 18&nbsp;year-old wife is unbreakable. So she gives up; so it's a song of regret and anger, and therefore fits in with short-breathed phrases.<ref name=Lincoln />}}