Circle Lyrics
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
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
When the streets are wet
The colors slip into the sky
That means you and
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
And we notice you don't come around

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.

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?

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.

sounds like a missed connection of some kind

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 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.