Round, like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel.
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
Like a snowball down a mountain
Or a carnaval balloon
Like a carousell that's turning
Running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Like a tunnel that you follow
To a tunnel of it's own
Down a hollow to a cavern
Where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving
In a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble
Someone tosses in a stream.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping
Past the minutes on it's face
And the world is like an apple
Whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Keys that jingle in your pocket
Words that jangle your head
Why did summer go so quickly
Was it something that I said
Lovers walking allong the shore,
Leave their footprints in the sand
Was the sound of distant drumming
Just the fingers of your hand
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And a fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
As the images unwind
Like the circle that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Pictures hanging in a hallway
And the fragment of this song
Half remembered names and faces
But to whom do they belong
When you knew that it was over
Were you suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning
To the color of her hair
Like a circle in a spiral
Like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning,
On an ever spinning wheel
As the images unwind
Like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind
Explanation:
The song is meant to convey the feelings of the singer as he
grapples with the almost overwhelming emotional confusion brought on by
the ending of a brief, but intense love affair.
FIRST PARAGRAPH
As
his mind races back to the beginning of their relationship, the first
stanza describes the intoxicating joy of their passionate love
(possibly a "first" love) with the "circle in a spiral" and "a wheel
within a wheel" and the roller-coaster-like effect of new love "never
ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel". The joy of the
relationship and how fast it grew is also conveyed with "snowball on a
mountain" and "carnival balloon". And "a carousel that's turning rings
around the moon" signifies the giddly heights of his affection and joy.
The
repeating line "like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes
of its face" represents how fast time flew while in their relationship.
"And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space" represents the purity of their world and of their relationship.
SECOND PARAGRAPH
This paragraph represents the feelings of despair as the realization of the relationship's ending sinks in.
Using
imagery that expresses feeling hopelessly lost "Like a tunnel that you
follow to a tunnel of its own, down a hollow to a cavern where the sun
has never shown".
The nightmare feeling of her leaving
him is expressed as "Like a door that keeps revolving in a half
forgotten dream" and he feels the loneliness of her rejection with the
line "or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream".
The
repeating lines of "Like the clock whose hands are sweeping past the
minutes of its face, And the world is like an apple whirling silently
in space" are used here to describe the slowing of time as the
relationship winds down and the solitary apple is now represents the
feeling of sadness of being alone.
THIRD PARAGRAPH
This
paragraph brings us to the singer's present consciousness (signified by
"Keys that jingle in your pocket") as he continues to relive his
memories in search for answers.
"Words that jangle in your head" represent how distracted he is now.
"Why did summer go so quickly" represents the possible timespan of their affair.
"Was it something that you said?" represents the natural questioning we go through after a breakup.
"Lovers walk along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand" represents his romantic illusions of their relationship and, like footprints in the sand, how fleeting their relationship seemed.
"Is
the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?" again,
represents his inability to focus through his sadness or to even be
aware of his surroundings.
"Pictures hanging in a
hallway, and the fragment of a song, Half-remembered names and faces,
but to whom do they belong?" probably represent the various artifacts
of their relationship, including photos of the friends they made while
they were a couple. "To whom do they belong?" could be questioning if
these people are now HER friends or HIS friends. "Half remembered names
and faces" indicates just how much he was emotionally invested in the
relationship; to the point where everyone else was just in the
background.
"When you knew that it was over, you were
suddenly aware that the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her
hair." I cannot do justice to this line, but it probably means that
everything beautiful now reminds him of his lost love.
FOURTH PARAGRAPH
This
paragraph is a repeat of of the "circle in a spiral" imagery which is
to indicate that his sorrow continues as he tries to recover from a
broken heart.
I found the explanation in this link:
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