In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
And we notice you don't come around
Me, I think it all depends on you
Touching ground with us but
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the, is the best way to be
When I'm by myself it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody else can say goodbye
Everything is temporary anyway
When the streets are wet, the colors slip into the sky
But I don't know why that means you and I are
That means you and I
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the, is the best way to be
When I'm by myself, it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone, it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody else can say
Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
And we noticed you don't come around
La la la la la la la
And we notice you don't come around
Me, I think it all depends on you
Touching ground with us but
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the, is the best way to be
When I'm by myself it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody else can say goodbye
Everything is temporary anyway
When the streets are wet, the colors slip into the sky
But I don't know why that means you and I are
That means you and I
I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And I quit, I give up, nothing's good enough for anybody else
It seems
And being alone is the, is the best way to be
When I'm by myself, it's the best way to be
When I'm all alone, it's the best way to be
When I'm by myself, nobody else can say
Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends
And we noticed you don't come around
La la la la la la la
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This song reminds me a lot of the time when I was transitioning out of high school and into college. I remember seeing a lot of my friends joining together and becoming closer than ever, but it seemed like all I did was drift away from them. Even the ones who i wanted to stay close to forever just got distant, and never came around. And for a while I told myself it was better to just be a loner, by myself and not care about any of them, and not try to make new friends. If you don't let people close to you, then people can't hurt you, whether that be intentional or unintentional. Nobody can say goodbye, which is what hurts msot of all. That's what I hear Edie saying in this song. Her friends notice she's not coming around, and she feels like they have been distancing themselves from her. Her quitting and giving up is because, in her perspective, she wasn't good enough for them to want to be close, and so rather than allowing them to slowly break it off with her, she's ripping it off like a band-aid to try and end the hurt. But it just hurts more. That's just my interpretation though, based on my own experience.
I believe the song to be about her reaction to a breakup. "When the streets are wet, the colors slip into the sky But I don't why that means you and I are, that means you and I" implies that she can't finish the thought because it is too hard to face. Sometimes I think the voice saying "Me, I'm a part of your circle of friends" is external to the singer and sometimes I don't. I think it is supposed to be that way on purpose. Expresses both a sense of detachment from people and a little self-loathing. The giving up is an over reaction to the breakup. As if she is saying, "If I can't have him/her then I choose no one!" And that is "no one" as in not just these circle of friends, but nobody! It is a little over the top, but she really sells it! Great song! This song is what I think of when the Smashing Pumpkin's album "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" comes up. That's melancholy for those missing it. "Mellon Collie" is also a great album.
Edie Brickell's song "circle" meaning to me is a feeling I shared with many AA friends while I was in my first year of recovery. I would be active going to meetings then back off for a while until I received calls from friends in aa and would return to meetings. I often would feel being alone was best until I returned to meetings which have kept me sober over 20 years so far.
It's definitely about a breakup; no question.
I remember when I was about 5 (I'm 16 now) I used to run around my living room with this cd blasting. When this song came on, I used to sit with my legs crossed and just sway. Yea...I was an odd child, still am. Anyway, I love this song and it really reflects growing up and growing apart.
this song seems depressing to me. i don't know if it's just that initial stubborn "I'm right, you're wrong" attitude after you have a fight with someone, or if it is someone sucluding themselves and dropping out of their circle of friends because they really have given up on life. any ideas?
this song made me feel guilty cause i was neglecting my friends at the time, and it sounded like it was saying that they dont see you anymore and they cant be bothered with you anymore, so they quit they give up
i love this song so much. i always feel like crying when i listen to it. I can really relate to the lyrics...
I heard this song on XM today and was like, "I've heard this before, but where?". I was still trying to remember when I started reading the comments, and I realized how long ago this song came out. I would've been...7? Wow. Crazy how you remember a song from your childhood and hear it as an adult with a whole new understanding.
Yes, I too believe that this song is about a breakup... but what type of breakup? When we, or at least I, think of breakups, I automatically associate it with a romantic-type breakup. Yet there are many types of breakups.
For me, as another commenter here similarly posted, this song makes me think of my Disease of Addiction. You see, I, like millions in our country, suffer from this Disease. Because I've used drugs in the past in my active Addiction, does that mean that I'm forever going to be an addict? Yes... and No.
Let me explain. Because I have this Disease of Addiction, I'm forever going to identify as an addict, but that doesn't mean I'm going to use drugs until they drag me to my grave. I'm currently a Recovering addict which means I am clean, drug-free because I finally made a decision, a choice, to arrest my Addiction and get help to get and remain clean. I, personally, did this with the help of Rehab professionals, other Behavioral Health professionals, my peers in Recovery and by the Grace of God, my everything.
So, getting back to breakups, I had a breakup a few months ago. I was enjoying my beautiful, clean life when my Addiction... in it's patient, cunning, baffling way... pulled me back into my active Addiction, once again a slave to the drug. Up until then, when I was clean, I was regularly attending multiple weekly Narcortics Anonymous (na.org) meetings, meeting new friends and becoming part of something good.... a Program proven time and again to help addicts fight and overcome their active Addiction and be not only clean, but in a place even better then before they even put a drug or chemical in their body.
My break-up, then, was me leaving my peers, my friends in Recovery out of the tremendous shame and guilt I had that I was right back using drugs again. I isolated myself, essentially breaking up with my loved ones and even society as a whole. I knew, though, that I was continuing down a path that I did not want my life to be. Truly, by the Grace of God, I was aware of what I needed to do, as I was taught in the Program and through previous Rehabs. Thus I once again made the choice to check myself into a Rehab to get and remain clean.
Today my body, mind and spirit are drug-free, chemical-free. I am back reconnecting with my peers in Recovery who have welcomed me back with open arms. I am tremendously grateful for another chance due to the choice I made to not pick up a drug again. Today a make that same choice... to not pickup a drug, but rather to immerse myself in the Narcotics Anonymous (na.org) Program which is structured not just to help keep people drug-free, but to have a much better idea of who they, who I, am. Working what we call the 12 Steps leads us to a better life, to be a better person, even if we had never picked a drug or drink.
So, for me, my breakup became, with my choosing to surrender myself, a reunion... a beautiful reconnection with those that will help me as I help them, as we all help each to live a tremendously Blessed and awesome life... in Recovery.
God Bless and Godspeed, NurseDave Nursedavek@hotmail.com