The Circle Game

I've been singing this song to Phoebe since before she was born. I love it for so many reasons, not the least of which is that my mother also sang it to me. It's so full of meaning and imagery. Phoebe's been asking me a lot lately to sing it, I'm so glad she doesn't seem to be tiring of hearing it, because I'm certainly not tiring of singing it. :) And gosh, jonimitchell.com says it's been re-recorded by 192 different artists! I love re-makes, so I'll be checking out some of the other versions. In my version, it's about a little girl instead of a little boy, and I've been singing it that way for so long that it actually sounds odd to me when I hear the original lyrics. I wonder what else others have done with it to make it their own.



Yesterday a child came out to wander
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like, "When you're older", must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels through the town
And they tell him, "Take your time. It won't be long now
'Til your drag your feet to slow the circles down"

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return, we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and 'round and 'round
In the circle game

And go round and round and round in the circle game


 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

The picture is lovely and a perfect representation of the circle game. It is by you or someone else. I would like permission to use it if I can. Kind regards Ruth

ツ SMF said...

Lovely, indeed! The photo is a google find, not mine to give permission to use for anything. (Please forgive the considerable delay.)

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